Travel junk fees are a virus with no easy fix

A traveler looks for baggage amid rows of unclaimed luggage at the United Airlines baggage claim area at Los Angeles International Airport on June 29, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Sure, I’m annoyed both when I get sick and when I have to pay $20 for my seat of choice, but it’s pointless to get mad at the viruses or airlines responsible. They’re just doing their jobs: One maximizing self-replication, and the other, profit.

A 2023 report from IdeaWorksCompany, an airline industry reporting firm, and CarTrawler, a travel software provider, notes that ancillary revenue as a percentage of total revenue more than doubled from 6.7% in 2014 to 14.7% in 2023.Over the next two years, airlines and travel booking platforms must start displaying the cost of baggage and cancellation fees “clearly, conspicuously and accurately.

“Some … metasearch entities such as Google stated that the existing marketplace provided transparency and that the rule would diminish consumer choice and competition.”Sure, airlines have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, since it’s making them boatloads of money. But why does Google care? Besides the technical hassle of updating its software to reflect the DOT’s regulations, Google Flights should applaud anything that helps consumers find the lowest-cost airfare.

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