Major US Airlines Sue Transportation Department Over New Regulations Mandating Up-front Disclosure of Fees

Washington D.C., District of Columbia United States of America
Airlines argue that the regulations are an overreach by the Transportation Department and could confuse customers with complicated shopping processes.
Major US airlines and their industry trade group, Airlines for America, have filed lawsuits against the US Transportation Department over new regulations mandating up-front disclosure of certain fees.
New rules require carriers and ticket agents to clearly communicate their extra charges up front for checked luggage and carry-on bags, as well as for canceling or changing reservations.
The lawsuit was filed at the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals by Airlines for America and the carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and JetBlue Airways.
The new rules are set to go into effect on July 1 and could save consumers over $500 million a year.
Major US Airlines Sue Transportation Department Over New Regulations Mandating Up-front Disclosure of Fees

In a recent development, several major US airlines and their industry trade group, Airlines for America, have filed lawsuits against the US Transportation Department over new regulations mandating up-front disclosure of certain fees. The lawsuit was filed at the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals by Airlines for America and the carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and JetBlue Airways. The final rules require carriers and ticket agents to clearly communicate their extra charges up front for checked luggage and carry-on bags, as well as for canceling or changing reservations.

The airlines argue that the regulations are an overreach by the Transportation Department and could confuse customers with complicated shopping processes. They claim that they have already made significant investments in their websites and apps to make it easy for passengers to book tickets tailored to their specific needs, with fees disclosed before a purchase is made.

The new rules are set to go into effect on July 1, and the Transportation Department estimates that they could save consumers more than $500 million a year. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airlines collected nearly $5.5 billion in baggage fees last year alone.

Consumer advocate John Breyault, vice president of public policy for the National Consumers League, said he was disappointed but not surprised to see the lawsuit. He noted that the rule makes it easier for travelers to do an 'apples-to-apples' comparison of flight costs and puts an end to 'discount bait-and-switch tactics' that could lead consumers to believe they were getting a better deal than the final price after fees.

The Biden administration has been campaigning against 'junk fees' beyond just airlines, targeting credit card late fees, resort fees, cable company charges, and convenience fees for tickets to live events.


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Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • Are there any potential unintended consequences to the new regulations that could negatively impact consumers or the airlines?

Sources

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Airlines are trying to stop Biden from enforcing ‘junk fees’ rule

The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Hannah Sampson Monday, 13 May 2024 23:03
  • Unique Points
    • Several large airlines, including American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Alaska and Hawaiian, have challenged this rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
    • ,
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains a few informal fallacies and appeals to authority. It also uses inflammatory rhetoric.
    • . . . the trade group Airlines for America and six airlines asked for the ancillary fee rule to be vacated because they say it is “arbitrary, capricious” and outside the authority of the Transportation Department.
    • The DOT ancillary rule is a bad solution in search of a problem.
    • According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airlines collected nearly $5.5 billion in baggage fees last year.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Airlines sue DOT over new rules requiring disclosure of fees

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Pete Muntean Monday, 13 May 2024 18:57
  • Unique Points
    • Major airlines have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over new rules requiring carriers to disclose all airline fees up front.
    • The suit was filed by carriers Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, and United along with industry lobby Airlines For America.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article reports on a lawsuit filed by major airlines against the Department of Transportation (DOT) over new rules requiring disclosure of fees. The author presents the airline's perspective and quotes Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. However, it contains some inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority.
    • The suit was filed Friday in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court by carriers Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, and United along with industry lobby Airlines For America.
    • The ancillary fee rule by the Department of Transportation will greatly confuse consumers who will be inundated with information that will only serve to complicate the buying process.
    • CDOT's attempt to regulate private business operations in a thriving marketplace is beyond its authority.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Airlines Sue US Over Fee Disclosure Rules, Citing Overreach (1)

Bloomberg Law Allyson Versprille Tuesday, 14 May 2024 07:24
  • Unique Points
    • Airlines for America and several major US airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and JetBlue Airways, sued the US Transportation Department over new regulations mandating up-front disclosure of certain fees.
    • The lawsuit was filed at the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals by industry trade group Airlines for America and the carriers.
    • The final rules require carriers and ticket agents to clearly communicate their extra charges up front for checked luggage and carry-on bags, as well as for canceling or changing reservations.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

91%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Airlines ask court to block Biden administration's new fee disclosure rule

CNBC News Ece Yildirim Monday, 13 May 2024 17:43
  • Unique Points
    • Airlines and an industry trade association filed a petition for review in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to toss out a new Department of Transportation rule requiring earlier disclosure of add-on fees during flight booking.
    • The Biden administration introduced the airline fee disclosure rule in September 2022.
    • Airlines argue that the rule will confuse consumers and complicate the buying process.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (70%)
    The author expresses her opinion that the new fee disclosure rule will confuse consumers and complicate the buying process. She quotes the Airlines for America group stating that airlines already provide complete disclosure of all fees before ticket purchase and that DOT's attempt to regulate private business operations is beyond its authority. These statements are editorializing, pontification, and an expression of author opinion.
    • Quoting Airlines for America: 'DOT’s attempt to regulate private business operations in a thriving marketplace is beyond its authority ... The DOT ancillary rule is a bad solution in search of a problem.'
    • The author expresses her opinion that the new fee disclosure rule will confuse consumers and complicate the buying process.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy and a dichotomous depiction. The appeal to authority is found in the quote from President Joe Biden:
    • , "You should know the full cost of your ticket, right when you're comparison shopping," President Joe Biden said at the time.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication