At a meeting of the White House Competition Council last Monday, Joe Biden announced new rules aimed at ensuring that commercial airline customers have access to the final fare they must pay from the very beginning of the booking process.
If finally approved, airlines and travel search websites would have to display the base price of tickets and all additional fares to prevent consumers from paying hidden fees. Costs incurred for travelling with children, for requesting itinerary changes, for boarding with carry-on bags, among others, should be included in the first quote.
According to the national administration, the rule will seek to «significantly strengthen protections for customers» by ensuring access to more complete information. «The proposal seeks to provide customers the information they need to choose the best deal», the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a press release.
Currently, the final price of an airline ticket can increase significantly from that reflected in an initial search. This is because many extra charges can add up to more than what might be judged to be a low fare in the first place.
The White House argues that the new rules will prevent airlines from hiding the «true cost» of tickets. This would help consumers save money up front and encourage more competition among airlines to offer better fares. «You should know the full cost of your ticket right when you are comparison shopping», Biden said.
In that sense, the new rulemaking responds to the Executive Order aimed at promoting competition in the economy. Biden signed it with the intention of carrying out 72 initiatives, from more than a dozen federal agencies, to address some of the main problems of the American economy. Among them, inflation, which still remains at unusually high levels for the country.
Full and in advance fares information would be required for all commercial flights to and from the United States. However, it will have to go through a sixty-day period before final approval.
