American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) President and CEO Zane Kerby issues this statement in response to the House of Representatives’ recent passage of the so-called Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 (H.R. 4156):
“ASTA is disappointed by House passage of this anti-consumer legislation that will make airfares less transparent, not more. But we are undeterred in our resolve to resist H.R. 4156, and with the support of our members, turn now to the Senate to make our case and prevent this bill from going further.
“The bill seeks to overturn the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) full-fare advertising rule, put in place to make the total cost of a ticket more transparent by requiring airlines to prominently state the full and final price to be paid by the consumer. Here’s what the airlines don’t want consumers and lawmakers to understand—DOT already made this process transparent by allowing the airlines to list all the government fees and taxes in their advertising, as long as the full and final price is most prominently displayed.