The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l welcomes the new legislation that makes airfare’s hidden fees & taxes visible to consumers

Lawmakers pass legislation to make airfare’s hidden fees & taxes visible to consumers.

WASHINGTON, 2014-7-30 — /Travel PR News/ — The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) issued the following statement in support of legislation that today passed the U.S. House of Representatives which requires previously hidden government-imposed taxes and fees to be fully disclosed to the consumer.

“ALPA applauds the House for its action to overwhelmingly pass the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 (H.R. 4156). In 2012, the Department of Transportation (DOT) introduced a regulation that prohibits airfare advertisements from highlighting the base cost of an airline ticket. This misguided policy effectively hid the magnitude of government imposed taxes and fees from consumers, which typically constitute 21 percent of the total ticket cost.”

“We commend Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) for his strong leadership and applaud the House for its diligent work to advance this important legislation.”

“H.R. 4156 restores airfare transparency by allowing consumers to see the full breakdown of their ticket costs. At a time when U.S. airlines are forced to compete with foreign carriers on an unlevel playing field, this common sense legislation will help secure a future for the hundreds of thousands of jobs that the U.S. airline industry supports. We urge the Senate to follow suit so that consumers will have the benefit of knowing exactly where their hard-earned dollars are going.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 51,000 pilots at 31 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703/481-4440 or Media@alpa.org