Airlines Push for the Right to Bury Fees in Fine Print

Airlines may soon slash ticket prices—in advertisements, that is—if they can push a bill through Congress that will allow them to bury taxes and fees in fine print.

The Transparent Fares Act would roll back a regulation that requires airlines to clearly advertise the final sale price, the Associated Press reports.

Industry advocates argue that the final price confuses flyers. If customers could see the base fair, followed by a pile on of taxes and fees, they would become better informed taxpayers. The industry estimates that taxes make up roughly a quarter of the final sales price.

The bill has bipartisan backing of 33 lawmakers according to AP and sailed through a committee vote last month.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. objected to the rule rewrite, calling it “just dishonest.”

[AP]