Originally Posted by
USHPNWDLUA
The bill specifically states that the base airfare is defined as everything except government-imposed taxes and fees. Given this language, how could this be an issue? For me, this is all about transparency. Under this bill, consumers can actually see the portion of the ticket cost that is imposed by the government. Today, the airlines cannot display this in advertising, on ticketing websites, etc. I find the current system deceptive because the government has used the current system to hide all the fees they tack on.
I have plenty of transparency into the type and amounts of government fees and taxes imposed today. It's itemized right there in my receipt. Across multiple airlines I fly it's generally just obvious enough that I notice it at a glance every time I check my receipt for correctness.
What I want to know transparently as a prospective buyer, though, is what the
total cost of my ticket is going to be. This is especially an issue with international destinations, where I have sometimes seen Carrier A advertise a fare of $200 plus $600 "taxes and fees" while Carrier B flies to the same destination for $600 base fare plus $200 taxes and fees. The only sensible meaning of transparency requires being able to tell instantly that these two products are equally priced.