Washington - US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), champion of efforts in the Senate to bring greater transparency to the airfare process, hailed the Department of Transportation's announcement today that new airline regulations to protect consumers from hidden fees will go into effect later this week. This change in regulations follows efforts championed by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez to include provisions from his Clear Airfares Act in the Federal Aviation Act (FAA) that passed the Senate in 2011. Among the new provisions are requirements that airlines and ticket agents disclose all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares, including additional baggage fees, to consumers buying tickets.

"Travelers deserve to have an upfront understanding of just how much they will have to spend on a trip and not be taken by surprise at the airport with costly hidden fees," said Menendez. "Just last year, airline consumers were hit with an estimated $32 billion in fees, much of it in hidden fees. In these tough economic times, when our families are watching every penny, consumers deserve price transparency. I applaud the Department of Transportation for taking this step, but I also believe that more still needs to be done to allow consumers to comparison shop for airline tickets. "

The FAA bill that passed the Senate in 2011 included provisions from Menendez's Clear Airfares Act to help consumers make well informed decisions before purchasing airline tickets. Specifically, the legislation requires airlines and third-party websites to provide consumers with a complete and understandable listing of total airfare charges, as well as any other possible fees that may be incurred on the flight (including: baggage, meals, blankets, headsets, changing reservations, changing seats, or extra legroom) before the ticket purchase is made. Unfortunately, that bill is still awaiting final negotiations.

The rule issued by DOT also follows the recommendations Menendez outlined in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood with 6 Senators from both sides of the aisle in September 2010. The Senator urged him to protect consumers by requiring the full disclosure of ancillary fees on airline tickets.
PDF of the Letter: http://menendez.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/092310LetterLaHoodAirlineHiddenFees.pdf
In a follow up letter sent in November of 2011, Menendez and several additional colleagues urged Secretary La Hood to include in the new rules being drafted at the time that all fees be up front, up to date, available at the time of purchase and allow for meaningful comparison shopping by consumers.


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