In a letter to the leadership of the House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure, ASTA has asked legislators not to repeal the full-fare
advertising rule implemented by the Department of Transportation in 2012.
The rule requires that airlines, packagers and travel agents
post total ticket prices, including taxes and fees, in print and online
advertising.
However, the 21st Century Airr Act includes a provision to
allow airlines and ticket agents to post base fares on websites and in
advertisements, so long as other costs are separately disclosed.
The Airr Act was under debate by the committee on Tuesday. The
bill also reauthorizes FAA funding beyond this September and privatizes the U.S.
air traffic control network.
"Repealing the DOT's full-fare rule would undermine a
key consumer protection principal ASTA holds dear -- that consumers should know
the full cost of air travel before purchasing a ticket," ASTA senior vice
president of government affairs Eben Peck wrote in the letter.
This is the second year in a row that a legislative effort
has been made to repeal the full-fare rule. An amendment offered to the 2016
FAA reauthorization bill by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) didn't make it into
the final legislation.
The trade group Airlines for America backed that measure,
saying it wants the full-fare ad rule abolished because it enables the
government to hide how much it taxes air travel.
In its letter, ASTA praised the meat of the Airr Act, saying
that, "on the whole the legislation meets its goals to improve the safety
of air travel, improve the flying experience for consumers, foster innovation
in unmanned aircraft systems, fund the nation's airport infrastructure and
modernize the nation's air traffic control system."
ASTA specifically endorsed a provision that would ban
in-flight phone calls.
But it asked lawmakers to include the creation of a national
commission on airline competition in the act. ASTA proposed such a commission
in January 2016.