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JUNK FEES

Air travelers are paying more for less, and a sense of resignation has set in. Experts say consumers feel they deserve it after years of choosing low fares, but they shouldn't. This trend now extends beyond airlines to hotels and cruises.

Travelers are resigned to paying more and getting less. Do they deserve this?

October 14, 2025October 12, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Don’t look now, but air travelers are paying more and getting less — and they’re fine with it.

Categories On Travel
Your flight's been delayed over and over. But when you ask a lone worker staffing the customer service counter for help, he just shrugs. There's no meal voucher, no compensation — not even an apology. Just an indifferent employee telling you to deal with it.

Airlines want to roll back consumer protections — will your rights disappear?

December 11, 2025September 14, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Imagine this: Your flight’s been delayed over and over. But when you ask a lone worker staffing the customer service counter for help, he just shrugs. There’s no meal voucher, no compensation — not even an apology. Just an indifferent employee telling you to deal with it.

Categories On Travel
Junk fees -- hidden, mandatory extras added to your final bill -- have mushroomed in recent months and travelers are crying foul. The government is waging a public war against these annoying extras, but businesses still love hitting their customers with extras because fooling them into paying more is highly profitable.

Travelers are drowning in junk fees during the summer of surcharges

November 24, 2024May 25, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

Junk fees — hidden, mandatory extras added to your final bill — have mushroomed in recent months and travelers are crying foul. The government is waging a public war against these annoying extras, but businesses still love hitting their customers with extras because fooling them into paying more is highly profitable.

Categories On Travel
Julie Duteau noticed something strange on her last two phone bills: a surprise $10 fee for a "modem lease." Problem is, she already owns her modem.

This surprise fee made her phone bill skyrocket

January 19, 2024March 18, 2023 by Christopher Elliott

Julie Duteau noticed something strange on her last two phone bills: a surprise $10 fee for a “modem lease.” Find out how to avoid unwanted surcharges like this on your bill.

Categories Advocacy

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