WASHINGTON – Starting Thursday, airfares will look different because airlines have to include taxes and mandatory fees in their advertisements.
Those taxes also must be included on airlines’ websites, online travel sites, social media and in emails.
Airlines fought the changes. Steve Lott, spokesman for the industry trade group Airlines for America, said he expects ads will now include a range of prices for a destination, rather than those low-price deals airlines had offered.
People who travel internationally will see the biggest changes in prices. By the time taxes, fuel surcharges and other fees are added up, the real cost for a flight can rise $200 round-trip.
The changes are part of new airline passenger protections the U.S. Department of Transportation put in place.
Not included in the new prices will be optional fees, including charges for checked bags.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report. Follow Neal and WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
