US GAO releases report on airline fees for optional services

US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released (20-Sep-2017) a report on airline fees for optional services, finding the following:

• US carriers have introduced fees for optional services and increased existing fees since 2010;
• Revenues from fees for checked baggage and for changing or cancelling a reservation increased from USD6.3 billion in 2010 to USD7.1 billion in 2016;
• On average, customers who paid for at least one checked bag paid more in total for the airfare and bag fees than they did when airfares included checked baggage.

GAO concluded that while transparency challenges still exist, the US Department of Transportation has ongoing regulatory proceedings that may resolve some of these issues. [more - original PR]