Originally Posted by AutoSlash

You may be right, but it's done across the travel industry--hotels, airlines, cruises, etc.

The thing to keep in mind here is that the only reason the rental companies can levy these fees is because they disclose them. There have been challenges in the courts before (Budget v. Berry, a 2007 in federal district court), and all these fees were ruled permissable precisely because they were clearly disclosed.

So in the end, you may not see the point of breaking out the fees, but the breaking out is what allows them to legally charge for them in the first place.

PS--Just the messenger.