FlyersRights.org to Congress: Airline travelers should not live in the land of the fee
13-Jul-2010 FlyersRights.org, in its testimony provided for a hearing to be held tomorrow by the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure regarding airline fees, will call upon Congress to do something about out of control fees currently charged by airlines to its customers.
"Congress, not just DOT, should act now to protect consumers from the ever increasing number and variety of fees imposed on them by the airlines," said Kate Hanni, Executive Director of FlyersRights.org. "These fees, many of which the airlines do not have to pay taxes on, are simply an effort by the airlines to shift their financial burdens onto American consumers at a time when they can least afford them."
In testimony provided to Congress, FlyersRights.org found that their members believe that the complexity of the "optional and ancillary fees" now being imposed by most of the major U.S. domestic airlines makes it very difficult for airline passengers to calculate the true cost of a proposed flight. This, in turn, degrades the passenger's ability to compare the total costs of flying on competing airlines. FlyersRights.org has found that airline fees, which are estimated to generate over $2 billion annually, are often unclear to consumers, applied in a manner that is manipulative and are often excessive and arbitrary.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has indicated in a pending rulemaking that it would be satisfied if passengers were just given accurate information about these "optional and ancillary fees." In its testimony, FlyersRights.org members strongly disagree with this "information only" approach and believe that this Congress must act promptly to set statutory limits on what kinds of fees and charges can be imposed by airlines and under what conditions.
"Just as they have done with ATMs and credit cards, Congress and the Administration must do more than force airlines to make the fees transparent and easier to understand-they should curtail the imposition of these fees in the first place," added Hanni. "Airlines like imposing fees rather than increasing fares because in most cases they can avoid paying taxes which support the safety and efficiency of our airport system-so consumers are being ripped off and shortchanged at the same time-enough is enough."