President Biden announced earlier in the week a plan to make it easier to know the real cost of airfares you’re about to buy, and to compare them to others. The plan includes a new Department of Transportation rule which must first be open for 60 days of comments.
Under the rule, airlines and third-party airfare sellers would be required to disclose upfront any fees for change or cancellation, for baggage or for seat selection. Those fees now usually show up several clicks along the way, making comparison difficult.
The new rule would allow you to see, for instance, if the $50 cheaper ticket is actually cheaper than a higher fare that already includes fees. “You should know the full cost of your ticket right when you’re comparison shopping,” Biden said, “so you can pick the ticket that is actually the best deal for you.”
The rule would apply to both foreign and domestic carriers on flights to, from or within the U.S.
Predictably, the airlines are not happy with the idea, claiming that they already are fully transparent, since you know all the fees before you pay, although not until you’ve chosen a particular flight. Airline spokesgroup Airlines for America, in a statement, claimed that “U.S. airlines are committed to providing the highest quality of service, which includes clarity regarding prices, fees and ticket terms.” If that were truly the case, the rule would be unnecessary.
