Airlines No Longer Required to Disclose Baggage Fees
Meg Butler December 09, 2017
Young handsome man passenger in 20s with carry-on backpack collecting his luggage at conveyor belt in arrivals lounge of airport terminal building
The Trump administration is withdrawing an Obama-era proposal requiring airlines and ticket agencies to disclose baggage fees as soon as passengers begin the process of buying tickets.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) posted a notice on the Federal Register this week that announced it’s withdrawal of the rule, along with another plan to force air carriers to disclose how much revenue they make from charging other ancillary fees.
The administration argues that these regulations have “limited public benefit.”
The decision drew ire from Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) who has lead the push for airline consumer protections in Congress. He Tweeted, “Unbelievable. Pulling the plug on rules that would ensure airlines are open and honest about bag fees and other charges is about as anti-consumer as it gets.”
To read more on this story, go to The Washington Post.
So when and how is the customer to know what the fees will be? This is incredibly anti-consumer IF they are not available before purchase.
Everybody Chill. The headline apears misleading since the author indicates this was a "proposal" and had not yey been enacted. That means the current baggage fee reporting practices will remain unchanged. The Obama-era legislation was an attempt to change these existing practices. I would have liked to see the Obama-era legislation remain but the current indistry practice is quite easy to locate during ticket purchase. As for the poster Chavala who suggests Trump is trying to "F the world"...this repeal is simply an exaple of Pro-Corporate GOP platforms of less onerous regulations. America has always been a battleground between consumer rights vs Industry. The pendulum swings both directions. My concern is the arc of that swing continues to increase with every election year.
Regardless of the accuracy of the article, I want and need to know what my baggage fees will be before I buy my tickets. Fee disclosure is a common courtesy that should be given to customers making any purchase. Anyone arguing with that is just trying to sell you something.
I wonder if any of this is connected to Trump himself being a failure at running an airline? It does seem that anytime (every time) he proves incompetent at anything, he blames others and then seeks revenge. This might also explain his attacks on the NFL ...?
Allan38103, yeah we wouldn't want anything that might help a consumer make an informed decision whey pricing/buy tickets - F the passengers!