Price transparency on airline tickets could be a thing of the past, as House Republicans push to roll back Obama-era rules that prohibit airlines from advertising anything but their all-in prices, including all required taxes and fees.
But Democrats and consumer watchdogs are sounding alarms, saying the change would be a gift to airlines, who could hide the true cost of airfare behind links or fine print — and increase their profits by getting consumers to spend more.
“This is a bad idea,” said John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League. “Price transparency makes it easier for consumers to comparison shop. … We don’t want to have to do algebra and advanced trigonometry to figure out what it costs.”
The Republican provision was tucked into a huge Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization package, one of the few bills considered a must-pass this Congress, by members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It was amended, however, to leave some of the Obama-era rule intact — under the amendment, airlines would still be required to be open about any airline-imposed mandatory fees, but they would be allowed to strip out governmental taxes and fees from their advertised rates.
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A spokesperson for the transportation committee chair, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., told NBC News that the provision would allow airlines the same freedom in advertising that other industries enjoy.
On Thursday, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., wrote a letter to their House colleagues urging them to support Schakowsky's amendment to strip the pricing reform out of the FAA bill before it goes to a full House vote next week. But they face major headwinds in getting the GOP-controlled House to include it.
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