{"id":719,"date":"2025-01-24T00:43:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T00:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/airlines-and-senators-battle-over-added-fees-for-checked-bags-and-seating\/"},"modified":"2025-01-24T00:43:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T00:43:22","slug":"airlines-and-senators-battle-over-added-fees-for-checked-bags-and-seating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/airlines-and-senators-battle-over-added-fees-for-checked-bags-and-seating\/","title":{"rendered":"Airlines and Senators Battle Over Added Fees for Checked Bags and Seating"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Is paying to check a bag on a flight a choice, or tantamount to extortion?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A group of senators and executives from five of America\u2019s major airlines <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?540338-1\/airline-industry-executives-testify-airline-fees\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sparred over<\/a> that question on Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hsgac.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024.11.25-Majority-Staff-Report-The-Skys-the-Limit-The-Rise-of-Junk-Fees-in-American-Travel-1.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">issued a report<\/a> last month arguing that airline fees, for services like checking bags and choosing seats, had raised costs for passengers and left them without recourse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cPassengers now are forced to pay extra for almost everything,\u201d said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut and head of the subcommittee. He said customers felt like \u201cpiggy banks to be shaken down by these skyrocketing fees \u2014 that seem to have no connection to any costs that the airlines incur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The bipartisan group of senators was trying to crack down on the charges, which lawmakers call junk fees and airlines often frame as \u201cunbundling.\u201d Under the Biden administration, the Department of Transportation has worked to target them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last year, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bts.gov\/topics\/airlines-and-airports\/baggage-fees-airline-2023\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">baggage fees alone<\/a> totaled $7 billion across 14 carriers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The airline executives argued that the fees give consumers choices by letting them pay only for the things they want.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOur customers who prioritize affordability have the option to choose a lower-fare product \u2014 and in doing so, opt out of paying for additional services they do not need nor want,\u201d said Andrew Nocella, the chief commercial officer of United Airlines, adding, \u201cIn our view, a one-size-fits-all travel model would deny lower-cost options to our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Bobby Schroeter, chief commercial officer for Frontier Airlines, noted that more than 70 percent of that carrier\u2019s customers do not check a bag.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The executives most likely came to the hearing expecting a fight, but many could have done with an image boost. Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection last month. Delta Air Lines faced intense customer anger after the CrowdStrike software outage disrupted travel for days in July. The Transportation Department fined American Airlines $50 million in October for its treatment of passengers who use wheelchairs. (The airline is also trying to crack down on \u201cgate lice,\u201d the passengers who crowd the boarding area and try to get on the plane before their group is called \u2014 often to gain better access to the overhead bins.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">However, more people than ever are flying: The Transportation Security Administration said this week that it recorded its busiest day ever on Dec. 1, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with nearly <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TSA_Pekoske\/status\/1863606614546059347\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">3.1 million passengers<\/a> screened at T.S.A. airport checkpoints.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Steve Johnson, the chief strategy officer at American, said consumers benefited from lower prices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt has never been more affordable to fly,\u201d Mr. Johnson said, noting that there is a range of fares available for any single flight. \u201cOur approach maximizes customer choice while offering historically low prices for air travel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The senators hit back, at times framing the fees as almost akin to extortion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019re all captives on your airplanes,\u201d said Senator Maggie Hassan, Democrat of New Hampshire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, was even harsher: \u201cYou guys do appreciate that flying on your airlines is a disaster, don\u2019t you?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The senators argued that bringing luggage on a trip is not a perk. They also argued that those fees should be shown prominently in the initial ticket price, so customers can choose among accurate final prices when booking a ticket. No one should be surprised by a fee at the end of a booking or at a gate, they argued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The senators and executives also wrangled over variable, or dynamic, pricing and concerns about fairness. Some senators worried that their concerns would only deepen as artificial intelligence grows more powerful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The senators focused on a program at Frontier in which gate agents can earn as much as $10 for identifying a bag that is too big to be considered a personal item and must be paid for as a carry-on. That can cost customers $99, said Mr. Blumenthal, who called it a \u201cbounty bag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis program isn\u2019t about revenue. This program is about creating a fair and equitable setup for our customers,\u201d said Mr. Schroeter, who rejected the idea that it was a \u201cbounty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During the hearing, Mr. Blumenthal played a video of a Frontier gate agent arguing with a passenger over the size of a bag. (It fit into the slot in the sizer at the gate.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe frustration in that passenger\u2019s voice is felt every day by countless passengers arriving at the gate with basically no choice,\u201d said Mr. Blumenthal, who said that the five airlines generated $25.3 billion in checked-bag fees over the past six years. \u201cTheir flight is leaving in minutes. They have no appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The effort to reduce fees has been a key focus for President Biden, who is trying to cement his legacy before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office in January, and Pete Buttigieg, the outgoing transportation secretary, has made curtailing fees a key issue of his tenure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, major challenges remain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Blumenthal pressed the executives to commit to dropping a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/05\/13\/business\/airlines-sue-dot-over-new-rules-requiring-disclosure-of-fees\/index.html#:~:text=Major%20airlines%20have%20filed%20a,and%20cancelation%20fees%20%E2%80%94%20up%20front.\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lawsuit<\/a> that the airlines have brought against new rules \u2014 announced by the Department of Transportation in April \u2014 about surprise fees. None of the executives agreed to do so.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The senator also urged the Transportation Department to issue a final rule before 2025 on a push to ban airlines from <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/biden-harris-administration-proposes-ban-family-seating-junk-fees-charged-airlines#:~:text=DOT&#039;s%20notice%20of%20proposed%20rulemaking,their%20parent%20or%20accompanying%20adult.\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">charging parents to sit with their young children<\/a> whenever possible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cGet it done,\u201d he said. \u201cNo more delay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">Follow New York Times Travel <\/em><\/strong><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">on <\/em><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nytimestravel\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">Instagram<\/em><\/a><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\"> and <\/em><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter<\/em><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\"> to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our <\/em><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">52 Places to Go in 2024<\/em><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is paying to check a bag on a flight a choice, or tantamount to extortion? A group of senators and executives from five of America\u2019s major airlines sparred over that question on Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which issued a report last month arguing that airline fees, for services [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[432,430,435,431,434,433,436,427],"class_list":["post-719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-loan","tag-added","tag-airlines","tag-bags","tag-battle","tag-checked","tag-fees","tag-seating","tag-senators"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finzexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}