The U.S. Senate’s version of the FAA reauthorization bill includes a provision authored by U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would regulate airline pricing models. The provision, already rejected by the Dept. of Transportation, is also known as the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act.
Supporters contend the regulation will benefit consumers, but the reality is it would force airlines to abandon the successful business model that has made commercial air travel the most affordable it has been in more than 20 years.
Today, most travelers are offered flexibility at the point of sale via a fully refundable, flexible ticket that is more expensive; or they can choose a lower fare that requires a change fee if a change or cancellation to the itinerary is needed. Travelers are also given additional choices that allow them to only pay for what they want. Consumers who are traveling light are not paying for luggage space they are not using and those travelers who want the flexibility to rebook and cancel trips can pay for it. No longer are these costs baked into the airfare. Regulating airlines’ pricing models would force them to re-engineer their business models, which likely would harm the price-sensitive travelers.
FAIR Fees will limit consumer choice and make air travel less affordable for the average American.
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The new FAA reauthorization bill includes a provision by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., that would effectively turn the entire business of air travel upside down. The so-called FAIR (Forbid Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous Fees Act) Fees Act targets any fee for a change or cancellation of a reservation for a flight in interstate air transportation, […]
