Feds propose new rules to end deceptive airline fees

Even members of the Department of Transportation are fed up with airline fees. The DOT is proposing new regulations today that would require airlines to disclose additional fees for things like advanced seat assignments and checking bags, so that customers can see the "true" price of a ticket. Currently, some airlines don't disclose the fees until midway through or at the end of the booking process.

The rules would also require third-party bookers like Kayak and Orbitz to declare the additional fees and identify code-share flights up front. The Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 bill expands on previous regulations, which prohibited airlines from stranding people on the tarmac for hours on end and advertising deceptive fares that didn't include mandated taxes.

The airlines' trade organization blasted the new proposals, saying the bill "overreaches and limits how free markets work." The DOT said it will finalize the new rules next year.

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