As US airports and airlines get busy carrying passengers during the holiday rush, a Senate subcommittee has released a report that says major US airlines are charging passengers significantly, which they termed “junk fees.” Some airline representatives, however, have responded that these fee structures have actually made air travel affordable for the masses. To discuss this issue, a Senate hearing has been scheduled in December for senior executives of five major US airlines.
Key findings A report by a Senate subcommittee has said that major airlines in the US are charging customers significantly in “junk fees.” The findings were released by Senator Richard Blumenthal, Chair of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI). The investigation sought information from three major airlines— American Airlines , Delta Air Lines , and United Airlines , as well as two “ultra-low-cost” carriers— Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines .
Blumenthal said that airlines are exploiting passengers with these additional fees and have called their representatives to testify before the PSI. So, what exactly has the report found? Bag policy enforcement The report says that much of the fee structures now used throughout the industry, such as unbundled fares and separate charges for goods and services, have been pioneered by carriers like Spirit and Frontier. The report noted that Frontier and Spirit incentivize their gate agents to enforce baggage policy and shelled .