Senate report urges Transportation Department to crack down on unfair or hidden airline fees

A Senate committee report urges the Transportation Department to crack down on unfair or hidden airline fees for things like seat reservations, checked baggage and ticket changes or cancellations.

At issue is an investigation by the Democratic staff of the Senate Commerce Committee. Their report says there appears to be no justification for checked bag fees other than increased profit. The report recommends that any bag fees be tied to actual costs incurred by an airline.

The report also says that in most cases, airlines charge fees for changing or cancelling a ticket — no matter how far in advance of a flight the changes are made. And it criticizes airline websites that mislead consumers into believing they have to pay an extra fee to obtain a seat.