Committee Will Also Examine Consumer Data Privacy Policies

Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller, IV (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has sent a letter to the top ten revenue generating U.S. passenger airlines seeking information about how they disclose certain additional fees to consumers when they are making ticket purchases. Rockefeller’s (pictured) inquiry also asks the airlines to provide information about internal policies aimed at protecting consumer information gathered during the ticket purchase process.

In recent years, airlines have increasingly been charging fees for “optional” services, such as checked and carry-on luggage, seat selection, and priority boarding. These additional fees are separate from base fares for flights and have been a boon to the airlines, raising billions of dollars of revenue for them. Rockefeller says his inquiry builds on concerns raised recently by consumer advocates about whether these fees are sufficiently disclosed to consumers shopping for flights, in order to allow for true price comparison.

Rockefeller says he has made it a priority to raise awareness among consumers about the importance of protecting personal information they provide online. Earlier this year, he introduced The Data Security and Breach Notification Act that would – for the first time – provide a federal standard for companies to safeguard consumers’ personal information throughout their systems and to quickly notify consumers if those systems are breached.

Currently, there is no federal privacy law that covers the collection, use, and disclosure of consumer travel information. Because of this gap in federal law, consumer advocates have expressed concern that airline privacy policies can contain substantial caveats and that it is difficult for consumers to learn what information airlines and others in the travel sector are collecting, keeping, and sharing about them. Rockefeller’s inquiry also seeks to address this concern.

FMI: www.commerce.senate.gov