Mishandled Baggage

"The hearing will cover a number of issues pertaining to the trend of unbundling airfares to require passengers to pay for particular services individually. The hearing will also explore requirements for disclosure of fares, taxes, and fees, options for passengers to recover the costs of some fees, and revenue potentially available to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund ... if certain ancillary fees were subject to the Federal tax on airline tickets."--P. vi.

To supplement fare revenues, airlines are increasingly charging fees for optional passenger services, notably for checked baggage, for which separate charges did not previously exist. While air fares are subject to a 7.5% excise tax that funds the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, which helps fund the FAA, many new optional fees are not. This report addresses: (1) the nature, relationship to cost, and disclosure of airline fees; (2) the potential impact of such fees on the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, (3) checked and mishandled baggage issues; and (4) the process, if any, for refunding gov¿t.-imposed taxes and fees when passengers do not use non-refundable tickets. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

In this third edition the chapters have been enhanced to reflect changes in technology and the way the air transport industry runs. Key topics that are newly addressed include low cost airline operations, security issues and EASA regulations on airports. A new chapter covering extended details about wildlife control has been added to the volume.