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Shopping for a plane ticket could become more confusing for consumers if a Trump administration proposal to loosen federal airfare advertising rules moves forward, aviation analysts and some airlines warn.
The Transportation Department is considering changes that would give airlines more flexibility in how they display the individual components of an airfare, including taxes and fees.
Under current federal rules, airlines must prominently display the total price consumers will pay for a ticket, including the base fare, taxes and mandatory fees. Individual components cannot be displayed more prominently than the all-in price.
The rules are designed to allow travelers to compare flights based on their actual costs before reaching the checkout page.
The proposed changes could alter how prominently airlines display base fares, taxes and fees while still requiring carriers to show the total ticket price.
The Transportation Department argues the changes would give airlines greater flexibility in advertising their products while continuing to protect consumers from misleading pricing.
Critics say the changes could instead make it harder for travelers to determine which flight is actually the better deal.
Critics warn of a return to confusing airfare prices
Airline analysts say consumers could be drawn to an apparently cheap fare only to discover that taxes and fees make the final price significantly higher.
“This has the potential to make things more confusing for customers,” Sean Cudahy, an aviation analyst for The Points Guy, said of the proposal.
Cudahy said eliminating restrictions on how airlines display airfare components could give carriers more room to emphasize low base fares.
“I think most consumers would be unpleasantly surprised to see taxes and fees added at the end,” he said. “In some cases, it can be a substantial portion of the price you pay.”
The concern is particularly relevant to travelers comparing several airlines, where relatively small differences in advertised fares can influence which flight consumers choose.
Under the current system, travelers are generally able to compare the mandatory all-in cost of competing tickets before purchasing.
DOT says total prices will remain visible
The Transportation Department disputes the argument that its proposal would make airfare comparison shopping more difficult.
The agency says airlines would still be required to advertise the full fare, meaning consumers would continue to have access to the total price of a ticket.
The department argues that the existing rules are unnecessarily restrictive because they limit how airlines can display the individual components of a fare.
Under the proposal, taxes and fees could be displayed more prominently alongside the total fare rather than being relegated to smaller type.
The administration has characterized the proposed changes as an effort to provide airlines with more flexibility while maintaining protections against deceptive pricing.
The proposal is now subject to public comment before the department decides whether to adopt it.
Southwest opposes the proposed changes
Not every airline supports giving carriers greater flexibility.
Southwest Airlines has opposed the proposal, warning that changing the way airfare components are presented could confuse customers who have become accustomed to viewing advertised fares as the total cost of a ticket.
“An entire generation of consumers has shopped and purchased air travel under this system,” Southwest said in a July 22 filing submitted as part of the department’s public-comment process.
The airline’s position highlights an unusual divide in the debate: Some carriers may prefer greater flexibility in how they market individual components of their fares, while others worry that changing familiar pricing rules could make the shopping experience more difficult.
Bryan Terry, an airline analyst at Alton Aviation Consultancy, said there is broader concern within the industry that the proposed changes could make airfare pricing less transparent.
What happens next
The public comment period remains open through Aug. 21.
After the comment period closes, the Transportation Department will review the submissions before deciding whether to issue a final rule.
If the proposal is adopted, airlines could gain greater freedom to emphasize individual components of ticket prices while continuing to display the total fare.
For travelers, the practical impact could come down to how prominently each number is displayed — and whether consumers can still quickly determine the amount they will actually pay before booking.
The debate ultimately centers on a familiar question in airfare shopping: Should airlines have greater freedom to advertise their prices, or should federal rules prioritize making the final cost as clear as possible?
