A record-breaking number of people across the U.S. traveled over the past week to visit family for Thanksgiving, but many of these travelers were forced to pay hidden fees to airlines while booking flights.
Although the exact numbers have yet to be released, the Transportation Security Administration said it expected the busiest travel week ever, with more than 18 million people projected to travel for the holiday, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
This record number of travelers will likely result in record earnings for airlines, as many travelers have expressed annoyance at the hidden fees and costs of flying during the holiday season.
Jaunita Prieto said she and her family flew in from Idaho to watch the Cowboys’ game against the Giants on Thanksgiving, and travel costs were one of the most expensive aspects of the trip.
“I think flying is expensive just in general. You just find the best prices you can. But it would take us about 25 hours to drive here. So, I had to fly,” she told Fox 4.
Brittany Vazquez and her family also opted to travel for the holidays, noting that the family has to account for hidden fees when creating a budget for their annual Thanksgiving trip.
“Yeah, the ticket may be cheap, but there are other things tacked on,” she said, per Fox 4.
“We stick to the same airline because we get a lot of perks. But we are mindful of the timing of planning the trip and buying the tickets in advance.”
Lawmakers nationwide and in Texas have now decided to evaluate how airlines charge for tickets and potential fixes to the hidden fees that coincide with the holiday season.
The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) conducted a study to demonstrate how airlines charge ancillary fees to generate additional revenue. The study revealed a dramatic shift in how airlines make money over the past few years.
This study requested information from five well-known airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.
One of the most prominent hidden fees is the cost of choosing a seat, which has become common practice in recent years. The study found that “all five airlines saw seat fee revenue increase in the period studied.”
“Seat fees, which did not exist at most airlines 20 years ago, generated $12.4 billion in revenue for American, Delta, United, Frontier, and Spirit collectively between 2018 and 2023,” stated the report.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said that the study “exposed new details about airlines exploiting passengers with sky high junk fees,” explaining that his goal is to find a way to require airlines to be upfront with travelers about the price of flying.
“This report pulls back the curtain on tactics like dynamic pricing that burden travelers and boost airline revenue. I will be asking airlines to justify these practices when they testify on December 4th before my Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.”
The PSI will host a hearing on “The Sky’s the Limit—New Revelations About Airline Fees ” on December 4 at 10 a.m. The hearing will feature testimonies from all five airlines.
While there is no indication that legislation will be passed to remedy the increasing cost of hidden fees, this hearing could provide new information about these fees and how airlines generate revenue.