Today, a Senate subcommittee report calls out airlines for charging passengers “junk fees” for seat selection or carry-on bags, and racking up billions of dollars in the process. For seat selection alone, five airlines more than $12 billion between 2018 and 2023. In the past, that “unbundled cost” was included with a standard ticket.
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations issued the critical report ahead of a hearing next week, where executives from Delta, Spirit, Frontier, United, and American will testify.
How airlines added more costs for everyday travelers
The report details how, in 2023, airlines charged hundreds of dollars per passenger for extra legroom seats. United Airlines charged up to $319, Spirit Airlines as much as $299, Delta Air Lines up to $264, Frontier Airlines $141, and American Airlines up to $140. But that’s not all. Airlines also added costs for carry-ons and incentivized workers to levy bag fees.
An excerpt from the report says: “Seat fees have grown more expensive and farther-reaching. 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 report also details Frontier and Spirit spending $26 million in 2022 and 2023 to incentivize gate agents “to catch passengers allegedly not following airline bag policies, often forcing those passengers to pay a bag fee or miss their flight.”
Industry group Airlines for America pushed back on the report, saying: “The subcommittee clearly lacks appreciation for the fact that air travel today is democratized, allowing Americans across all income levels to fly. Today, because of the revolution in air travel, nearly ninety percent of Americans have flown. That is because Americans have the power of choice to pay for the services they want and forgo those they don’t.”