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Schumer pushes for rule requiring airlines to include carry on fees in price quotes
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to the Department of Transportation Thursday asking the agency to require airlines to include the cost of carry-on baggage fees in the price quoted to travelers.
Allegiant Air -- a discount airline that provides service between regional airports -- announced earlier this week that they would begin charging travelers between $10 and $35 for bags that need to be stored in overhead compartments. That's in addition to the fees that Allegiant -- like other major carriers -- charge for checked baggage that the airline handles.
“The airlines are at it again, trying to see how much they can squeeze out of passengers while trying to advertise a price that is significantly lower than what the traveler will ultimately pay,” Schumer said in a statement. “Well, if an airline wants to try and nickel-and-dime a passenger than we will make sure that those nickels and dimes are disclosed up front as part of the price quote. Fliers should be able to travel with a carry-on bag without paying a fee, period, but if they are going to be forced to do so, they should be informed about the fees when they look at the initial price of the ticket.”
Schumer asked major carriers to pledge not to charge for carry on bags when the majority of airlines began charging for checked baggage two years ago. American, Delta, JetBlue, United and US Airways all signed on the agreement.
"According to United Continental, 87 percent of passengers in recent years bring bags on planes, making them ubiquitous with air travel. Consequently, for nearly all airline passengers, a carry-on bag fee would effectively represent an increase in the cost of the flight," Schumer wrote in his letter to the Department of Transportation.
In 2010, Schumer called for a similar administrative rule that would have made carry-on fees illegal, although the department did not issue such a regulation.
