Two low-cost airlines are facing questions over whether they bill passengers on the same flights differently based on where they live.U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, is a member of a bipartisan group of senators who say they’re worried that Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines might be using customer data to charge some people more for the same seats on the same flights.Hassan said she has heard from people who paid more or less depending on the personal information they enter in the booking process. She said executives for Spirit and Frontier refused to answer questions about their use of customer data at a hearing. The booking sites collect information such as zip codes, ages and genders before showing how much a seat costs. Hassan said she, along with U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, sent a letter to the companies urging them to be transparent in their fees up front.>> Subscribe to WMUR’s YouTube channel <<“I think it’s appropriate for Congress to say that airlines and other corporations have to be transparent in their pricing,” Hassan said. “This is what allows consumers to really have any kind of power in the marketplace, and it’s what creates better competition, which lowers prices.”Hassan said the hope is that the companies will change fee structures and increase transparency based on the letter. If not, she said Congress could take further action to make sure the airlines are held accountable.
Two low-cost airlines are facing questions over whether they bill passengers on the same flights differently based on where they live.
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, is a member of a bipartisan group of senators who say they’re worried that Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines might be using customer data to charge some people more for the same seats on the same flights.
Hassan said she has heard from people who paid more or less depending on the personal information they enter in the booking process. She said executives for Spirit and Frontier refused to answer questions about their use of customer data at a hearing.
The booking sites collect information such as zip codes, ages and genders before showing how much a seat costs. Hassan said she, along with U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, sent a letter to the companies urging them to be transparent in their fees up front.
>> Subscribe to WMUR’s YouTube channel <<
“I think it’s appropriate for Congress to say that airlines and other corporations have to be transparent in their pricing,” Hassan said. “This is what allows consumers to really have any kind of power in the marketplace, and it’s what creates better competition, which lowers prices.”
Hassan said the hope is that the companies will change fee structures and increase transparency based on the letter. If not, she said Congress could take further action to make sure the airlines are held accountable.