Two Senate Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday that
would limit the fees airlines can charge for checked baggage, ticket changes
and cancellations.
Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Richard
Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are both members of the Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee. They introduced the measure ahead of the anticipated
release by the committee’s Republican leadership of a far broader FAA
reauthorization bill.
Under what Markey and Blumenthal are calling the
Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous Fees (FAIR) Act, carriers could
only charge baggage fees that cover the cost of baggage handlers, ticket
agents, baggage processing and other items that pertain to checking a bag.
“For example, American Airlines, Delta, and United
charge more money for the second checked bag than the first, yet there appears
to be no appreciable cost increase for processing the second bag,” an
announcement from Markey’s office says.
For change and cancellation fees, airlines would be
authorized to charge for the cost of processing the new ticket. In the case of
a cancellation, they could charge for loss of revenue, too, but they would have
also have to consider the possibility of filling that seat as well as how much
the seat could be resold for.
“This measure will ground the soaring, gouging fees
that contribute to airlines’ record profits and passengers’ rising pain,”
Blumenthal said.