Steve Robinson

Advertised Airfares Have Not Risen

Cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages may have appeared to increase in cost on January 24th as a result of the New Department of Transportation (DOT) rules designed to enhance passenger protections.

The following are changes potential travelers have started seeing as a result of the DOT new rules:

Airlines will no longer be able to display tickets prices and then in small print refer to taxes and fees being extra.  Advertised prices now reflect total prices including any mandatory taxes and fees.  Optional fees such as baggage charges continue not be included in total price quotes.  Hotels, which are not regulated by the DOT, will continue to be able to display base rates before taxes and fees.

Airlines fees have become more prominent and standardized.  Whenever a ticket is purchased the travelers must be given an eticket receipt which lists all possible baggage fees and allowances.

Airlines will no longer be able to display fares on websites which automatically include options such as travel insurance that customers have to uncheck or be charged for.  Now all optional services can only be selected (opt-in) by passengers.

Airline ticket prices cannot be increased after being purchased.  While this has not been a problem in the past, recently one airline started considering a two tier ticket pricing approach whereby customers could either purchase a ticket at a fixed price or buy one a lower price that could change over time based on the cost of fuel.  This option is no longer open to airlines.

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