Travel agents rally against anti-consumer Transparent Airfares Act

0a11_2001
0a11_2001
Avatar of Linda Hohnholz
Written by Linda Hohnholz

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has launched a grassroots campaign to fight anti-consumer legislation—The Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 (H.R.4156)—making its way

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has launched a grassroots campaign to fight anti-consumer legislation—The Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 (H.R.4156)—making its way through Congress under the guise that it will make airfares more transparent.

“We need for anyone concerned about anti-consumer practices to tell their member of Congress that this so-called Transparent Airfare Act doesn’t fly,” said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby. “This bill would allow airlines to deceive travelers about the actual cost of a flight, a fight they already lost in 2012 when the Department of Transportation put rules in place to prevent precisely this situation,” said Kerby. “The airlines challenged the rule in court and lost, then tried the United States Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case. Congress should stay its hand here. There is no evidence of consumer harm under the DOT rule, only benefits for the traveling public,” said Kerby.

Under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) full-fare advertising rule, in effect since January 2012, advertised airfares must prominently state the full and final price to be paid by the consumer, including all government-imposed taxes and fees. Charges included within the total price—including taxes and fees—can be listed separately, as long as the total price is displayed more prominently than the individual components. Airlines are free to add anti-tax commentary in their advertising if they wish, so long as, again, the full and final price is most prominent. Airlines’ claims that the DOT rule prevents them from clearly disclosing the tax burden on air travel are simply not true.

The bill (H.R.4156), which was reported out of committee in the House without debate on April 9, could be acted on as early as next week. Meanwhile, airlines continue to shop for a companion bill sponsor in the Senate.

ASTA recently expressed its serious concerns with this legislation to relevant members in the House, and of any bill possibly being drafted in the Senate. But time is running out. The association is now asking members to write their Members of Congress to oppose the bill, and to request their coworkers and other colleagues to get involved. “We cannot stand by while anti-consumer legislation is allowed to sail through Congress and unravel protections put in place by the DOT with no input from the traveling public,” said Kerby.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...