New DOT rules make it easier to see “real” airfares

The price is right: New DOT rules provide more up-front details about airline fees and surcharges.

By Mark Chesnut

Beginning Jan. 26, new rules from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) should make it a bit easier when shopping around for the best airfare. Consumer advocates are hailing a new consumer rule, designed to enhance protections for air travelers, that will require all government taxes and fees to be included in every advertised fare.

The goal is to make it easier for travelers to see “hidden” airfare fees from the start, thereby preventing sticker shock at the time of purchase. Taxes and surcharges will be more clearly visible, and baggage fees also need to be more clearly disclosed. In addition, passengers have a 24-hour window to hold and cancel reservations without having to pay, for reservations made at least a week in advance. Price increases after a ticket has been purchased are not allowed.

DOT rules already required that any advertising with a price for air transportation to state the full amount to be paid by the consumer, including all carrier-imposed surcharges. The only exceptions allowed are government-imposed taxes and fees that are assessed on a per-passenger basis, such as passenger facility charges, which may be stated separately from the advertised fare but must be clearly disclosed in the advertisement so that passengers can easily determine the full price they must pay.

Internet fare listings may disclose these separate taxes and fees through what the DOT describes as a “prominent” link next to the fare, stating that government taxes and fees are extra, and the link must take the viewer directly to information where the type and amount of taxes and fees are displayed. The rules apply to both U.S. and foreign-based airlines as well as ticket agents.

Related resources

• Last-minute travel
• Round-trip flights under $200

Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which covers travel to Latin America. He once slept overnight on a Buffalo sidewalk to get a 29¢ fare to New York City.

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