Obama Asks For One Final Airline Regulation

Before he flew away for a much-deserved vacation on Friday after eight years in office, outgoing President Barack Obama’s administration asked for one last airline regulation.

The Department of Transportation is proposing that airlines and travel agents be required to disclose bag fee information at all points of sale, according to the Los Angeles Times.

While such a regulation already exists for airlines regarding finding bag fees on their respective websites, this new proposals would require bag fee information appear alongside the fare price when fliers search air fares on airline websites as well as on Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and other travel sites.

“The department’s goal is to protect consumers from hidden and deceptive fees and enable them to determine the true cost of travel in an effective manager when they price shop for air transportation,” according to the DOT.

But the airlines say they are transparent enough.

“The fact that a record number of people are flying underscores that customers are benefiting every day from affordable fares and the ability to choose among carriers, amenities and service options that best meet their needs,” Vaughn Jennings, a spokesman for Airlines for America, the trade group for the nation’s airlines, told the paper.

There is a public comment period on the proposal, which ends on March 20. But while the Obama administration proposed the regulation, it will be new DOT Secretary Nominee Elaine Chao in the Trump administration who will make the final decision.