New York. Passengers boarding U.S. airlines must be informed about extra charges, including baggage fees, itinerary changes, and seat selection, when they purchase a ticket.
This is stipulated in a new regulation announced a few hours ago by U.S. President Joe Biden, who said: “a passenger cancels and then has to pay a fee to rebook (a ticket).”
“It’s just not fair,” the president said after a meeting with several cabinet members, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Millions of Dominicans, as well as other ethnicities, travel annually on different U.S. airlines, nationally and internationally, and sometimes face problems with airline employees for extra charges in some of these services.
The guidelines for foreign airlines operating in the U.S., such as travel shopping websites, must clearly show when offering a fare to the consumer all costs associated with baggage, changes, cancellations, and group seating, among other things.
“Passengers have the right to know the full and true cost of flights before purchasing a ticket,” Buttigieg’s secretary said in a statement.
This is the second measure announced by the DOT this month, aimed at pressuring airlines to improve customer service.
In early September, the government launched a virtual database that allows consumers to check which airlines offer payment or compensation for cancellations.