Airlines look to push back against new "junk fee" rules

Major airlines are attempting to tell President Joe Biden “Not so fast,” on the rule that would force airlines to disclose what has been deemed “junk fees.” Airlines are pushing back against the measure and hope to have it thrown out entirely.

American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Alaska, and Hawaiian Airlines banded together to push back against the administration’s new policy in a petition that was filed on Friday, May 10. The rule was meant to describe the charges that are frequently added on to airline tickets, increasing the cost substantially compared to the cost that is initially presented to potential customers.

“The DOT ancillary rule is a bad solution in search of a problem,” the combined statement said.

The new rule is set to go into effect on July 1. After an 18-month process, the rule was finalized back in April. According to the Transportation Department, the new rule can save consumers more than $500 million a year.

“We will vigorously defend our rule protecting people from hidden junk fees and ensuring travelers can see the full price of a flight before they purchase a ticket,” The Transportation Department said in a statement. “Many air travelers will be disappointed to learn that the airline lobby is suing to stop these common-sense protections.”

The push is to drive airline and travel booking sites to show the true costs of airline tickets with fees for checked bags, changing flights, and cancelling a reservation. With several changes to checked bags and other fees attributed to flying, these changes were meant to give more clarity to the consumer from the start. However, according to the combined statement from the airlines, this rule would make things harder for customers creating “clunky search protocols causing delayed and unclear search results, neither of which consumers want or need.”

This legislation was meant to not only impact the airline industry, but much of the entertainment industry as a whole. The push against these “junk fees” includes resort fees, ticket services like Ticketmaster, and many more.