Airline “junk fees” should be gone, Palm Beach International Airport travelers are hopeful Congress passes the long-awaited law

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — People we talked to this week at Palm Beach International Airport hope that Congress will pass a law that will cut down on “junk fees.”

Extra fees that come with buying an airline ticket are becoming a big burden for people who fly a lot but don’t have a lot of money.

Mark Cheeks, a traveler from Virginia, said, “It’s a problem, especially with inflation and all the other problems we have right now.”

These fees, which are sometimes called “junk fees,” are extra charges that can be hidden and come from a variety of lenders. Often, they are not included in the price of a transaction at first, but are added on when the payment is made.

Curtis Carby, a passenger from Chicago, said, “I paid $50 per seat for a seat in the exit row.” “You know, I can understand that sometimes you need to charge a small fee, but what we’re seeing lately is a little too much.”

Cheeks agreed.

Cheeks said, “I hope that at some point we’ll have rules that will help us deal with it and bring down the cost.”

The current goal of President Joe Biden’s administration is to bring the costs down.

In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden said, “We’re making airlines show you the full price of your ticket up front and refund your money if your flight is canceled or delayed.”

Biden wants Congress to pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act, which would stop online airlines, banks, hotels, and other service providers from charging “junk fees.” It would also cut down on credit card late fees that are too high.

Carl Gould, president of 7 Stage Advisors and a business analyst, told WPTV that you used to not have to pay for these things.

Gould said that’s why consumers want this change.

“The traveler feels like they are being charged extra for everything. I mean, really? Whenever I want something, you always have your hand in my pocket. I thought I was buying a ticket from A to B, but I found out it wasn’t,'” Gould said. “I find it hard to believe that they’ll keep doing this until the end and then stop. I think what they’ll have to do is tell the airline industry to “police itself” and “don’t make us come in and decide what is a value-added service and what is a nuisance service charge.””