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DOT proposes loosening rule on how airlines advertise full airfare
The proposal would keep showing the total ticket price but allow equal prominence for tax and fee breakdowns instead of making the total fare visually dominant.
The Trump administration’s Department of Transportation has proposed loosening a 2011 rule that requires airlines and travel websites to display the full airfare customers actually pay, including mandatory taxes and fees, at the first point of sale. Under the existing “full fare advertising” framework, both U.S. and foreign air carriers and ticket agents that advertise airfares must state the entire price inclusive of all mandatory taxes and fees, and they are barred from showing charges that are included in the airfare more prominently or in the same or larger font size than the total single price.
The proposal would allow airlines and agencies more flexibility in airfare presentation. While the total price would still need to be displayed, sellers could give equal prominence to the tax and fee breakdown alongside the total fare rather than requiring the total fare to be visually dominant. Industry commentary highlighted the potential drawback for consumers, noting that shifting emphasis could make it harder to compare fares across airlines when checkout totals differ from how prices appear in the search results.