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Congress has protected the $ 4.6 billion fees that US airlines charge for baggage, seating allocation and flight changes as part of a night action aimed at continuing the Federal Aviation Administration funding.
The charges – described by an aviation expert as "the biggest complaint of the flying public" – would have been examined by the US Department of Transportation if a committee of the House and Senate had accepted the wording of the bill.
But the legislation announced at 02:52 on Saturday removed a provision that would have allowed the Ministry of Transport to decide whether airline rates were "unreasonable" or not consistent with the cost of providing the service in question.
"Air travelers face exorbitant fees, but airlines will stop at nothing to protect this $ 1 billion profit center," said Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Author of the provision.
Markey said that "thanks to an opaque negotiation process, the airlines have managed to eliminate this important consumer protection provision."
Air transportation costs, which exceed the cost of a ticket, amounted to nearly $ 2.4 billion in the first half of the year.
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Airlines have already contributed $ 2.4 million to Congress for the electoral cycle that ends with the November 6 elections, and in the past 10 years, incumbents have received $ 12.4 million, according to the report. Center for Responsive Politics.
The text of a final agreement came eight days before Congress was faced with a deadline for the approval or extension of the bill. The FAA has been paralyzed for more than a year – with three extensions of funding – by Congressional disagreement over how the agency should be funded.
The five-year re-authorization bill provides for several passenger protection measures and addresses some high-profile air issues. It directs the FAA to set minimum passenger rights for legroom and seat width. It prohibits the unintentional collapse of passengers who boarded an aircraft, a nod to the now infamous incident in which David Dao, a passenger of United Airlines, was Out of a plane last year while he was refusing to leave his seat.
[United and man dragged from flight reach ‘amicable’ settlement]
The bill also requires the Department of Transport to establish an aviation consumer advocacy group to help consumers deal with air travel complaints. It regulates the operation of UAVs, defines requirements for flight attendant rest periods and requires better communication between airlines and passengers during canceled flights.
"After several weeks of negotiations, I am pleased to announce a multi-year, bipartisan re-authorization of the FAA," said House Transportation Committee Chair Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), In a statement.
Commission member Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) Said in a statement: "Although this legislation is not perfect, it is the result of a bipartisan effort that will improve and advance the aviation system. American come on. "
Airlines began charging fees in 2007, when the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that 22 of them had collected $ 464 million for various specified items. If the balance of the current year reflects that of the first two quarters, the airlines will receive royalties of more than $ 4.7 billion at the end of the year.
Brent D. Bowen, a dean of Arizona's Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University who has published the airline's quality rating for 28 years, said last week that "the biggest complaint of the public is always the fees" .
"People do not realize what they are getting into when they enter the buying process," he said.
By buying the best deals on a plane ticket, passengers often discover that the fees for baggage, the best seats and flight changes are suddenly rising.
Sean Kennedy, vice president of Airlines for America, a lobbying group for several key players in the sector, said the airlines were doing better to warn prospective passengers of fees. they could incur.
"What you will see is that airline websites are incredibly better at communicating," Kennedy said. "Are you sure you want to buy this? Do you recognize that this is what you can not get [at this ticket price]? Are you sure you recognize that this ticket is not refundable? "
The airlines claim that the move to a basic price, along with other items, especially for items such as the upper lockers for hand luggage, is driven by very low cost carriers.
"There is a growing number of consumers who want the lowest possible fare," Kennedy said. "And if they want to add add-ons to make their flight a better experience for them, that's what they want to do. L & # 39; s mind [Airlines] model: you get a cheap seat and you do not get much else.
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