by Sarah Barker
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- The American Society of Travel Agents, the Consumer Travel Alliance and the Business Travel Coalition launched MadAsHellAboutHiddenFees.com to garner support and lobby the Department of Transportation to mandate full transparency about extra fees (Current.Newsweek.com 9.8.10).
- The group named September 23, 2010 (the day they present their petition to the DOT) Mad As Hell Day. They ask travelers to share horror stories about hidden fees and sign their online petition.
- The MadAsHell folks want anyone booking travel to have access to any and all fees before booking.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Delays, canceled flights, tight quarters, scanner searches — travel is getting back to its travail roots. Transparency may not make the road smoother, but it gives travelers a sense of control so they can prepare for the bumps.
- Travelers recognize that real service costs have always been there, but somehow bundled into the package; the frustration isn’t about fabricated airline fees, it’s about an a la carte system that seemingly turns each and every travel detail into an add-on item.
RESOURCES
