In yet another sign that the Transportation Department is serious about protecting the rights of consumers, the government this morning fined US Airways $40,000 for failing to disclose the full price consumers must pay for air transportation.
“When consumers shop for air travel, they have a right to know how much they will have to pay,” [...]
Posts tagged as:
FEE
I never meant to openly challenge American Airlines’ indefensible policy of charging those who can least afford it – budget-conscious leisure travelers – for the first checked bag. I had no intention of making a scene when I boarded a flight to Dallas with my family this morning.
Resort fees. Mandatory tips. Concierge surcharges. If you’ve stayed at a hotel in the last few years, you’ve become accustomed — if not anesthetized — to these annoying extras. You expect them. You’re indifferent to them when they appear on your bill. You shouldn’t be.
Just as Delta Air Lines announced plans to raise its checked baggage fees, another carrier appears to be quietly considering charging its customers for the first piece of checked luggage.
Here’s a deeply troubling trend: Hotels, eager to lift their historically low earnings, are introducing more “nonrefundable” rates. Guests often have no choice but to pay them.
There are certain items for which domestic airlines will probably never charge, like strollers and child safety seats. Cashing in on babies is just seen as tacky by most airline passengers. So when Continental Airlines inadvertently charged Greg Sykes for his child’s car seat, he expected a quick refund.
Get ready for round two of the online travel agency fee-cutting wars. This spring, the major online travel agencies eliminated their online booking fees. This morning, Expedia will announce that it will do away with its fee to book by phone.
Here’s a story about an airline doing the wrong thing, then the right thing, and then a confusing thing.
When Drew Tipton tried to add a few more days to his Avis rental, he expected to pay the daily rate. But wait, what’s this on the bill? A $10 rental extension fee?
Last week, several airlines added a $10 “miscellaneous” charge for flights on on Nov. 29, Jan. 2 and 3. — those are the peak travel days after Thanksgiving and New Years. The news sent the travel blogosphere into something of a frenzy. My colleague Janice Hough this morning predicted the “holiday surcharge” was only the beginning of a new fee orgy.
When it comes to airline fees, nothing is off-limits. Just ask Jason Fogelson.
He needed a receipt for his latest American Airlines flight, but when he asked for one, the airline said it would cost him. “I was flabbergasted,” he says.
So was I.
What’s with the sudden airline niceness? Yesterday, I reported that American Airlines did right by one of its customers after his ticket credit expired. Today, it’s United’s turn.
High crime. Outrageous prices. Fees everywhere.
US Airways raised its baggage fees yesterday, setting off what’s sure to be another round of me-toos from its competitors. Luggage fees are almost pure profit, and because there’s almost no pushback from passengers, carriers are getting away with these new surcharges.
Has the airline industry won the luggage fee war? Consider the following facts.
Sign up for my 
