DOT tries to put the “fair” in airfare pricing

January 27, 12 by Jillian Ryan

Earlier this week I booked a flight from New York to Miami.  Even though JetBlue only flies to the nearby Fort Lauderdale, I couldn't pass up the advertisement in an e-mail sent to me: Book Today, $89 each way from JFK. When I went online to look up fares, I did not see that fantastic rate; instead the fares were through the roof with the flights I wanted ringing up to $500 round trip. I didn't note the little asterisk (pictured at left in the screenshot from my e-mail), which referred me to a very lengthy paragraph entitled "Taxes, Fees and Restrictions."

Hopefully that's the last I'll see of miseading airfare offers. Earlier this week, the Department of Transportation issued a release outlining new regulations that went into affect Jan. 27. Two important parts of the new rules: Taxes and fees now must be included as part of the advertised price, and baggage fees must be clearly disclosed up front. "Airline passengers have rights, and they should be able to expect fair and reasonable treatment when booking a trip and when they fly," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the statement.

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