We’ve all been there. You've searched high and low for the cheapest seat flying to wherever and when you’re all set to check out you’re hit with a seat selection option that adds more cost to your already rising airfare. These types of charges, along with others like chagrin for carry-on baggage, are often referred to as junk fees and a new Senate subcommittee report outlines just how much airlines are making with them. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
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00:00We've all been there. You've searched high and low for the cheapest seat flying to wherever,
00:03and when you're all set to check out, bam, you're hit with a seat selection option that
00:07adds more cost to your already rising airfare. These types of charges, along with others that
00:12add costs for carry-on baggage, are often referred to as junk fees, and a new Senate
00:17subcommittee report outlines just how much airlines are making with them. The report
00:21looked back from 2018 to 2023 and reveals that five US airlines made some $12 billion
00:27charging travelers for creature comforts that used to be included in a flight's cost.
00:31Those include United Airlines, charging upwards of $319 for more legroom,
00:36with Hyperbudget Airlines Spirit charging $299 for the same. Meanwhile, Delta, Frontier,
00:42and American were also guilty of charging between $140 and $264 for more room, with the report
00:49outlining, quote, these five airlines charge passengers extras for additional legroom,
00:54aisle, and window seats, or even selecting a seat in advance, compelling parents with minor
00:59children to pay to sit together. The report also outlined how some airlines provided incentives to
01:04ticket agents to catch passengers allegedly not following airline bag policies, often forcing
01:09those passengers to pay a bag fee or miss their flight, with Frontier paying their staff $10
01:14bonuses for each bag that is forced to be checked and paid for at the gate. The Department of
01:19Transportation is taking great strides over the last four years in ending anti-consumer practices,
01:24many of their policies earning bipartisan support.