Airline fees continue to attract opponents and a few backers
The Business Travel Coalition and some other lobbying groups have a new web site (MadasHellAboutHiddenFees.com) of some obviously disturbed air travelers who want, at the very least, more transparency in what exactly they are paying in fares.
The group is also demanding that the US Congress require making fees appear clearly in all reservation systems.
The Coalition released a survey showing that two-thirds of business travel purchasers often feel blindsided by fees at the airport.
“Comparing air travel costs without fee-transparency is like trying to read a book with half the pages torn out,” said Paul Ruden with ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents).
“Marrakesh snake-charmers would fit right in with the current frantic ambiance of the departure gate, which has become more of a bazaar as airlines aggressively look for more ways to increase the revenue they generate from fees,” writes Joe Sharkey in The New York Times.
But he points out that another group that represents corporate travel buyers and suppliers, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, has notably not joined the movement, arguing that the fees allow for choices.
“These fees are actually a solution that travel procurement managers have been asking for, for years. You pay for what you want,” said Ron DiLeo, the association’s executive director. “The issue for travel managers and buyers isn’t really the fees; it’s how to account for them effectively,” he said.
By David Wilkening
David
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