U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says airlines need to disclose fees

PHOENIX - Airlines are fighting back against major transparency orders from the federal government.

Six of them have teamed up to file a lawsuit against the requirements.

We spoke with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the issue.

"I was disappointed to see the airline industry lobby suing us over this rule," Buttigieg said. "They basically said, ‘if we make sure the passengers have that information it will be confusing.’ I think transparency is the opposite of confusing, so we will vigorously defend this requirement that airlines keep the passenger informed about those costs before you buy."

What do the airlines say?

American Airlines said in a statement the new law will be confusing.

Airlines already provide consumers with complete disclosure of all fees associated with air travel before they purchase a ticket. American Airlines statement

Travel expert Katy Nastro says its about how many clicks you have to make to see the price.

"The airlines are putting out fees. It's not like they are hiding their fees necessarily, but it definitely is a process to go through before you see that real total of how much you're expected to pay," she says.

Consumers are making their opinions heard as well

Traveler Bill Burns just landed in Phoenix from Boston. He thinks the government needs to "step back."

"I agree with the airlines," he said. "I think the government needs to step back and that will actually help with making the airlines cheaper."

Mike Lineberry from Memphis has other thoughts.

"That's the get you in the door price, you know? You click on it and it shoots up 100, 200 bucks and why do they do that?" he said.

Similar thoughts came from Peggy Fiedler who shared her experience with hidden fees.

"It [hidden fees] caught me by surprise when I went to Italy. I was like, ‘what?!’" she said.

When does this law take effect?

The earliest the new disclosure would take effect would be the fall of 2024. That estimate, however, depends on the outcome of the lawsuit.