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United States Airlines Could Now Be Forced to Disclose Fees
July 16, 2010

It now appears that airlines that are flying in the United States may have to start more broadly disclosing their baggage and other fees. This news comes after a government report found that consumers lack information that they need when comparing carriers.

As of right now, airlines do not include these fees in route and fare data that they provide to travel agents who sell 60 percent of tickets either online or through independent corporate travel services. This information was just recently reported by the Government Accountability Office.

The author of the Government Accountability Office report, Gerald Dillingham, said that these fees are not very transparent. People do not think it would be a tremendous burden on the airlines to provide this information to the travel agents.

The report does encourage the Transportation Department to enact regulations that would require carriers to provide this fee data in route and fare schedules supplied to travel agents. As of right now, United States lawmakers are also considering a fee disclosure legislation.

Representative James Oberstar, who is a Minnesota Democrat and chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that airlines are in a rush to bag more money as they impose fees on luggage pillows, blankets and whatever else they can. It is a backdoor price increase, and more regulations on such charges are possible.

So far carriers have added fees to boost revenue beyond that of just airfare. A lot of this has to do with the fact that rising fuel prices and the recession have really put a hurting on the airline industry. Airlines collected some $7.8 billion in fees last year for items such as luggage and reservation changes.

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