Airlines have pocketed billions of dollars in so-called “junk fees” by charging customers extra to select a seat or to carry on bags, according to a Senate subcommittee report
The report said some airlines have even paid workers cash incentives to identify customers trying to avoid fees for carry-on bags. From 2018 to 2023, five US airlines made more than $12 billion on seat selection fees alone, an “unbundled” cost that used to be included as part of an airline ticket. The report, from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said that in 2023, United Airlines charged as much as $319 for an extra legroom seat, Spirit Airlines charged as much as $299, Delta Air Lines charged as much as $264, Frontier Airlines charged $141 and American Airlines charged as much as $140.
“Seat fees have grown more expensive and farther-reaching,” it said. “These five airlines charge passengers extra for additional legroom, aisle and window seats, or even selecting a seat in advance, compelling parents with minor children to pay to sit together.”
The 55-page report comes as the outgoing Biden Administration takes a victory lap for its crackdown on airlines by ramping up consumer protections. Earlier this month, the Department of Transportation announced it would begin enforcing a new rule that requires airlines to provide automatic refunds to passengers for canceled or significantly delayed flights. The report detailed measures some airlines took to ensure passengers pay for carry-on bags. It stated that ultra-low-cost carriers Frontier and Spirit shelled out $26 million in incentives to spur agents in 2022 and 2023 “to catch passengers allegedly not following airline bag policies, often forcing those passengers to pay a bag fee or miss their flight.”
“Junk fees” have been in the crosshairs of the Biden administration. In August, the Department of Transportation proposed rules that would eliminate seat-selection fees for families that want to sit together.
“I know that some airline CEOs have expressed hopes that the next administration will be less passenger-friendly and more corporate-friendly than this administration,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news conference last week. “The passenger protections that we have put in place deservedly enjoy broad public, bipartisan support.”
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations says it will hold a hearing with officials from American, Delta, United, Frontier and Spirit next week.
