May 31: Are outrageous airline fees going buh-bye? (USA TODAY)
May 31, 2016
Airline fees aren't disappearing anytime soon, but the most ridiculous of them may be headed for the emergency exits. By "ridiculous" I mean United Airlines' $50 processing fee for tickets refunded to passengers after unplanned events such as jury duty, illness or death. Or Delta Air Lines' $25 fee for booking a ticket by phone."Some of these fees were irrationally punitive," says George Hoffer, a transportation economist at the University of Richmond. "They were neither cost- nor demand-based."They've been quietly eliminated in the last few weeks, and more could follow. But don't get your hopes too high. Airlines and fees will continue to be synonymous for a while, unless the government gets involved.