The Department of Transportation could soon be mandated to move
forward with an Obama administration proposal to require airlines and ticket
agents (including travel agents) to disclose fees for carry-on and checked bags
from the beginning of a fare inquiry.
Such a requirement would effectively reverse the DOT's
December decision to halt a rulemaking process on the disclosure proposal.
A directive contained within the "Report Language"
document that is accompanying the 2018 appropriations bill the House passed
Thursday instructs DOT director Elaine Chao to report back to Congress on the
progress being made to establish baggage-fee display guidelines within 180 days
of the bill becoming law.
The Senate is slated to vote on the appropriations bill
Friday, and barring a surprise defeat or filibuster, the bill is likely to be
presented to President Trump for passage this weekend.
"Report Language" reports are documents that are
not included directly within legislation, but that Congressional committees
prepare to provide more specific guidance to the executive branch on how
appropriations should be expended.
This Report Language directive would instruct the DOT to
work in collaboration with the airline industry, consumers and other
stakeholders to establish airfare display guidelines for airline websites, OTAs
and metasearch sites. The prices, the directive says, would need to include "full
ticketing charges, including, but not limited to, seat price, any additional
fees the consumer will pay per piece of baggage or per seat upgrade, and
optional flight insurance costs."
All charges, the directive says, should be clear to
consumers at the time of an initial search.
When the DOT decided to drop the rulemaking process in
December, Chao explained that doing so was consistent with a Trump executive
order from last January calling for a rollback of regulations and regulatory
costs. http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Government/DOT-dumps-proposed-rule-requiring-bag-fee-disclosure
Consumer groups and ASTA objected.
On Thursday, ASTA praised Congress' effort to make the DOT
reverse course.
"ASTA believes
strongly that withholding important airline information from consumers who
engage the services of a professional travel advisor harms the traveling
public, and that those who purchase their travel through agents should be as
informed and empowered as those who buy directly from airlines," ASTA said
in a statement.