A survey released by Open Allies for Airfare Transparency finding that large numbers of consumers want more upfront information about ancillary airline ticket fees won support from Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.
"Quite simply, the travel industry is all about policies that get more people traveling—and we strongly believe that means listening to consumers' opinions on what will improve their travel experience. Data such as that provided in today's study release is a gift for policymaking, and we hope that everyone with a stake in passenger aviation will pay attention," Dow said.
"These findings are consistent with a survey conducted by the U.S. Travel Association earlier this year. Our survey determined that 92 percent of flyers support a DOT rule that would ensure core airline fees could be seen at the time of purchase and paid for upfront," Dow said.
"The exact same number said it's important to be able to accurately budget for the full cost of an air trip, and that the overall cost of flying, including fees for checked bags and seat assignments, was the most important factor in their decision whether or not to travel by air. Most alarmingly to us, a third of flyers said they travel less than they used to because of airline fees for checked bags, seat assignments, etc," Dow said.
"The growing wealth of data we have about travelers' main concerns points to the need to modernize airports, increase competition and provide travelers with more accurate information about the full cost of flying. The ultimate beneficiary of this policy recipe will be not only the traveler, but the entire U.S. economy," Dow said.
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