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A group of senators and executives from five of America’s major airlines sparred on Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which issued a report last month arguing that airline fees, for services like checking bags and choosing seats, had raised costs for passengers and left them without recourse.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he thinks the federal government should review and perhaps fine the airlines for their use of what he called junk fees.
Blumenthal, the chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said seat fees were pure profit for the airlines because they don’t have to create new seats or incur other expenses by allowing customers to pick where to sit.
Some senators expressed frustration during Wednesday’s hearing when airline executives could not explain how they set the amount of various fees. They said the vagaries of airline pricing make it hard for consumers to budget for trips.
“We’re all captives on your airplanes at a certain point. You just say, ‘You want to pick a seat? We’re just going to charge you some random amount more,’” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said. “It would be good if you guys could be transparent about what you do and why.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., sparred with executives of Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, which paid employees $26 million in bonuses for spotting customers whose carry-on bags were too big to fit under a seat. The passengers were forced to pay a fee (up to $77 on Spirit and $99 on Frontier) to use an overhead bin.
“If people want to know why it’s such a terrible experience to fly, this is news for them today,” Hawley told the airlines executives Wednesday. “Your airlines are paying millions of dollars to your employees to harass people who have already paid!”
Frontier Chief Commercial Officer Robert Schroeter and his counterpart at Spirit, Matthew Klein, said ensuring that people follow the rules was a matter of fairness to all passengers.
When Hawley asked why bag fees may vary from one customer to another, Schroeter said Frontier must cover its costs.
“Overall, our job is to generate the most revenue we can so we can keep profitable as an airline,” he said.
Airline executives blasted at Senate hearing over carrier fees
Lawmakers accuse airline executives of gouging travelers with "junk" fees. Carriers say they give people options.
www.cbsnews.com
