Junk fees tips

The Federal Trade Commission took another step in the Biden administration’s ongoing battle against junk fees by unveiling a proposed rule that would ban businesses from levying misleading charges.

New federal rules around airline junk fees and refunds are meant to protect consumers but they overlook the logistics of making it happen, according to Laura Chadwick, president and CEO of the Travel Technology Association.

After the Biden administration announced it would crack down on junk fees and require automatic refunds, it was unclear how the rules would be enforced and applied to the airline industry.

The Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it would partner with 18 state attorney generals to investigate airline consumer violations.

Made Hotel in New York City has caught attention for giving its resort fee an unusual name — “curation fee.”

Checking in a bag is becoming an increasingly expensive endeavor. 

The U.S. government has increasingly taken aim at junk fees, charges levied by travel service providers that are considered unnecessary or excessive and not clearly communicated to travelers.

A class-action lawsuit against Accor, the Paris-based hotel giant, accuses it of having not disclosed so-called junk fees.

A bipartisan introduced in the House of Representatives Friday is the latest effort to apply pressure on the travel industry to be more transparent in how it displays and markets so-called junk fees.

A U.S. Senate panel on Monday announced an investigation into airline fees for baggage, seat selection, ticket changes and other services, demanding justifications from the CEOs of five major carriers for these charges that generate billions of dollars in annual revenue for them.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on October 7 a bill to ban mandatory hidden fees — also called junk fees — starting July 1, 2024.

The Senate’s No. 2 Democrat asked the CEOs of United Airlines and American Airlines to answer questions on rising passenger complaints and higher ticket prices and fees.

Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of the hotel giant Hilton Worldwide, last week highlighted his company’s move to display mandatory fees, such as resort fees, upfront when a consumer first searches on the group’s website and app.

Can Airbnb clearing fees be eliminated? “Essentially, yes,” said Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.

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California legislators have passed two bills that could impact how the state’s 6,000 hotels and thousands of short-term rentals inform consumers about so-called junk fees, such as resort fees and housekeeping fees.

Vrbo wants to protect consumers better by levying penalties on hosts who cancel reservations and raising eligibility standards for “premier hosts.”

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Yet another U.S. hotel company faces a lawsuit about disclosing mandatory resort fees. Sonesta, which runs more than 1,200 hotels under various brand flags, faces a class-action suit in Washington, D.C., over how it displays its resort fees on its website and app.

Travelers United’s choice to sue Hyatt over its “junk fee” practices fits into a broader storyline about travel junk fees being in the limelight ever since President Joe Biden referred to travel fees in his 2023 State of the Union address.