Do airline tickets need warning labels?


Airline tickets are more complicated and confusing than ever. Do they also need warning labels? Maybe.佐賀空港から成田空港

A provision in the Senate version of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act requires air carriers to disclose their baggage fees, cancellation fees, change fees, ticketing fees and seat selection fees “in a standardized format.”

It’s unclear whether the labeling provision, which was introduced by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), will become law when the bill comes to a vote in the next few weeks, but its presence raises some interesting questions. Chief among them: Why is it so hard to figure out what you’ll have to pay for a plane ticket — and what you’re paying for?

The warnings would be straightforward, according to lawmakers.

“As we envision it, the standardized disclosure would be relatively simple and user friendly, much like the Truth in Lending Act disclosures on credit card solicitations,” said Bryan Gulley, a spokesman for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Fees are a puzzle for even the most ardent road warrior,” says Kerry Mooneyham, a travel adviser for Midwest Travel Solutions, a Missouri travel agency affiliated with the Virtuoso network.

The reason is simple: Added fees increase airline profits. The more confusing they are, the better.

“Consumers looking for airline tickets are now confronted with a dizzying array of fees when they go shopping — bag fees, seat fees, and many others,” Nelson says. “This provision would allow consumers to see all the fees upfront, before they buy a ticket, and allow them to make an educated decision about what airline makes the most sense for their travel needs.”

Here are just some of the intricacies of modern-day airline tickets.

Change fees: These fees have gradually increased until, a few years ago, major airlines began introducing tickets that were completely unchangeable. Because these tickets are also the cheapest, many passengers booked them, often without reading the restrictions. Airlines collected $2.8 billion in fees for reservation cancellations and ticket changes in 2017. No one knows how many tickets were discarded because they were unusable.