New DOT rules are putting increased pressure on airlines to show full prices. But, while consumers focus on ticket prices, baggage fees are subtly heading up.
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baggage fees
Here are five predictions for the coming year. All in all, I think consumers are going to come out ahead in the coming year, airlines are going to find a road to profitability, TSA will streamline its inspection processes, airport restaurants and services will get better, communications about delays, cancellations and weather will make quantum leaps with new smartphone technology, and the overall world of airline travel will improve.
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The battle with the airlines and consumer groups, such as the Consumer Travel Alliance, about whether or not passengers will be told the full price of transportation including baggage fees and other obscure ancillary fees is still raging on Capitol Hill.
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The last time she flew, five years ago, checking a bag was still free. Most travelers are aware of the fees, but so she was shocked when she got up to the ticket counter. U.S. Airways said she had to pay an extra $60. She didn’t have it. That’s the beginning of her story that lasted eight days and nights.
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Baggage fees are so ubiquitous that Southwest, one of the last holdouts, uses their lack of fees as a marketing point. Plus, other carriers market some of their branded credit cards as being a way to save on fees.
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The airlines seem to be intent on keeping travelers from being able to compare the full cost of travel. Somehow they feel that not allowing consumers to compare costs to fly, including ancillary fees, is the right way to go. They are flouting the new DOT disclosure rules on their websites and airlines are fighting the coming rules in court as well.
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Readers of this blog and, indeed, any frequent traveler, already know that airline code-shares are at best an inexact science from a customer-service point of view.
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This weekend we take a look at the actions of the Customs and Border Protection folk. We learn that TSA has started pat-downs in bus terminals, ferries, and even subways. And, Delta and Continental have raised international baggage fees, just in time for the summer travel push. Thanks guys.
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One of the questions being asked in Washington is, “What fees are most important to airline passengers when making airfare purchases?” If you have taken this survey, thank you. If not, please do.
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Delta Air Lines just got caught with their hands on our troops’ pockets — troops who were returning from active duty in Afghanistan. It seems that Budweiser commercials not withstanding, Delta rather than being appreciative of soldiers’ service to them and their country, evidently, see only dollar signs.
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