Politics & Government

Tax and Fees Included; New Airline Passenger Protections Go Into Effect

Starting this week new federal regulations will require that all taxes and fees be included in advertised rates, and that baggage fees be disclosed at the time of ticket purchase.

Airline travelers will no longer be suckered in by too-good-to-be-true advertised airfare rates because starting this week all advertised prices must include all taxes and fees as well.

The change is a part of a series of new regulations that will go into effect this week to help ensure that consumers are treated fairly when they travel by air, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. 

“Airline passengers have rights, and they should be able to expect fair and reasonable treatment when booking a trip and when they fly,” said Secretary LaHood. “The new passenger protections taking effect this week are a continuation of our effort to help air travelers receive the respect they deserve.”

Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Among the new provisions:

  • requirements that airlines and ticket agents include all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares and disclosure of baggage fees at time of ticket purchase
  • passengers will now be able to hold a reservation without payment, or cancel a booking without penalty, for 24 hours after the reservation is made, if they make the reservation one week or more prior to a flight’s departure date. 
  • airlines will be required to promptly notify passengers of flight delays of over 30 minutes, as well as flight cancellations and diversions. They will also generally be prohibited from increasing the price of a passenger's ticket after it is bought.

The new airfare rate rule makes it easier for passengers to determine the full price of the ticket prior to travel. In the past, airlines and ticket agents have been allowed to publish ads that list government-imposed taxes and fees separately from the advertised fare, as long as these taxes and fees are assessed on a per-passenger basis. The advertising provision will begin on Jan. 26. All the other consumer protections went into effect on Jan. 24. 

Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Cerritos-Artesia