An air travel consumer group is urging the US Transportation Department to impose a cap on the fees charged by airlines for changing tickets.
FlyersRights.org wants a maximum charge of $100, as change fees have risen to as much as $750 for international flights, says the group’s president Paul Hudson.
"There’s been a dramatic increase in change fees," Hudson said.
"DOT has the authority, but they’ve also acknowledged that in the last 36 years since deregulation, they’ve never exercised it, they’ve never denied a price or fee for being unreasonable," added Richard Baxley, a lawyer representing FlyersRights.org who prepared the petition.
DOT officials have considered similar proposals in the past but have always been rejected.
Airline industry officials say the change fees are imposed to cover costs of customers changing flights but also to act as a deterrent to discourage last minute changes to ensure the highest possible load factors.
If the DOT rejects or unduly delays the petition, the group can take an appeal to federal court.
Airline industry group Airlines for America dismissed the petition as unnecessary.
"The marketplace is working and the petition doesn’t demonstrate otherwise," said Victoria Day, spokeswoman for A4A.
