### arg ^ Th 9 Vole * tor

Ai r Uto w Pmmamn^m

r tUghi m Fetruary28,201 1 > -

- -i ; ' i : Honorabl e Ra y LaHoo d^

- Secretar y o f

Transportatio n - ^ U.S . Departmen t

o f Transportatio n - ^ • r I -C m -;0 0 L J ^ j-~ n 120 0 Ne w Jerse y Avenue , S.E . ^ Washington , D,C . 2059 0 •^• ' i'^ ^ Re : Commenr s otAirliitePassengen.or g o nRulemakin g *^£iihancui g Airlin e Passenge r ] h-otections " 7 5 F R3231 8 (Jun e 8,2010 ) Docke t No . DOT-OST-2010-01 . t O Dear Secretar y LaHood : AirIinePassengers.org , anewly-charter e I non-profi t organization ^ t o serv e a s th e "Voic e for Airlin e Passenge r

Rights, " urge s th e Departmen t t o conside r

thes e late-file dcomments * o n a n importan t polic > issu e first

raise di n th e *ebmar

y 16,2011 , comment s o f Allegian t Ai r t o thi s docker o ndi e subjec t

o f Full-Far e Advertisin g (regulate da t 1 4 C.F. R399.84) . Allegian t argue s i n par t

tha t sinc e dier e 1 a s bee nasubstantia l run-u p i nfiiel cost s i nrecen t week s tha t

airline s mus t

pay , DO T shou l J allo w earner s t o retai nth e righ t t o pric e thei r

service s flexibly, includin g th e optio n for Alligla : i t t o offer consumer s o nit s websit e achoic e o f tw o fares : atraditiona l "locke din " fere tha t woul dno t

fluctuat e betwee nth e tim e o f fare purchas e an dth e trave l date , an dalowe r far e tha t ;oul dchang e befor e th e dat e o f trave l *Xu

p t o ase t maximu mtha t

woul db e clearl y disclos e 1 ) dependin g upo nchange s i nfue l pric e betwee nth e bookin g an dtrave l dates.' * Allegian t i s o )pose dt o DOT' S first liste doptio ni nth e pendin g rulemakin g t o chang e th e curren t regulat o nt o establis hablanke t ba no nal l post-purchas e pric e increases

First , AirlinePassengers.or g i s complet e y sympatheti c towar dth e concern s o f a U airline s tha t th e sudde n an dsubstantial recen t increa s e s i nthei r

cos t o f fuel wil l hav e aseriou s financial impac t o n individua l carrier s an dth e en t r e recoverin g domesti c airlin e industry . Passenger s wil l b e askedt o pa y increas e i fare s tha t reflec t airlines ' highe r

cost s for fuel . Thi s i s appropriate ; th e singl e polic y questio ni s ho w thos e highe r fuel cost s ar e t o b e presente dt o consumers . AirlinePassengers.or g sup p )n 3 th e Department' s proposa l for ablanke t ba n ^ Charrere dmth e Commonwealt

ho f Virginia ; nques

t l o th e Imema l Reveim e Servic e ORS ) fo r classtficano

n a s a secrio n 50l(cX3 ) edmratioDa

l origanizatio

n i s pe i diog . ^ Th e NPR M piovide s tha

t laie-file dcommenis ' /il

l be considere

dto th e exten t practicabl e (75 F R323 1 %) . Sinc e th e Depanmcn t anticipates bsuin

g afinal regulittior

i n Apri l (DO T Rcgulatoi

y Agend aSemjanmia

l Summary , 75 F K 7961 2 (Decenibc

r 20,2010)) , AUtgiaa

i Air' s c o ntnent s an ddu s submissio

nshoul db e considered . P.O . BO X 57238 , WASHINGTON , D C 20037-723 8precludin g airline s fromimposin g an y p 5st-purchas e pric e increase s o nconsumer s for th e followin g reasons : 1 . DO T mus t

foste r eas y transparent ^ a s t o th e ful l cost s o f commercia l ai r

trave l tha t passenger s mus t

pay . A t th e curren t

time , som e legac y carrier : ar e refusin g t o provid e curren t fare an d"ancillar y fee " . informatio n t o thir dpartie s that hav e er aiitionall y offere dconsumer s valuabl e on-lin e comparison s o f

th e cost s o f

flying o nc o npetin g airlines . Thes e carrier s no w wan t passenger s t o obtai n informatio n o n thei r curren t fare s an do neac ho f

thei r newly-establishe d"ancillar y fees " (e.g. , checke dbags , advanc e sea t assig nnents , carry-o nbags , in-fligh t foo dan dbeverag e service , blankets , piUows ) solel y from e ic hcarrier' s ow nwebsit e an dno t froman y thiixi part y tha t woul dprovid e comparativ e informt lio nbetwee nairlines . I f allowe db y th e Department , airlin e p asscnger s woul dlos e th e transparenc y o f th e eas y comparabilit y o f

th e tota l cost s o f

flying o nnumerou s comperin g airline s - whic hi s on e o f th e primar y consume r

benefit s o f

th e intemt.- t

ag e - an dwoul dhav e t o searc hnumerou s carrie r website s t o mak e informe djudgment s ax?u i tota l costs . Allegian t propose s t o cak

e thi s legac y c i rrie r

schem e on e ste p further : from adifficult-to

dctcrmin e tota l cos t

o f flyin g after

cons i jner s hav e t o searc hindividua l airlin e website s t o an impossible-to-determin e tota l cos t becai.s e Allegian t

woul ddetermin e that

tota l cos t o nit s ow n -

- post-purchase , betwee n th e date s o f b e okin g an dtravel , b y settin g it s curren t **fiie l surcharge. "

. . -Anothe r

ste p backwar dfromtru e tra r sparenc y fo r

consumers . 2 . Th e propose dAllegian t Ai r pla ni s simpl y a neffor t t o hav e DO T approv e shiftin g norma l airlin e busines s ris k ont o t l e consumer , whic hi s contrai y t o consume r interest . Regardles s o f

th e degre e o f

disclosur e i ; migh t

provide , wha t

Allegian t

Ai r i s proposin g i s simpl y amechanis mfor

off-loadin g th e normal airlin e busines s risk o f fuel pric e increase s ont o th e consumer , wher e i t

doe s no t belong . W^U-runbusinesse s throughou t th e economy recogniz e tha t ther e ar e certain , inheren t risks i n oper aions , ofte nincludin g commodit y pric e increases . Fue l pric e increase s i s on e suc hrisk constan t y face db y airlines . Well-ru nairline s can , an dofte n do , addres s thes e tmcertaintie s b y employi nz hedgin g an dothe r strategie s t o protec t

agains t th e uncertaint y o f

future fuel pric e increas e : . Th e averag e constnne r ha s n o suc hopportunity . Allowin g airline s t o abnegat e thei r manigemcn t

responsibilit y t o protec t

thei r businesse s from th e vicissitude s o f

fuel pric e fluctuation i discourage s goo dmanagemen t practices , i s fundamentall y anti-consume r an dcont r

ir y t o th e publi c interest . Qualifie dairlin e managemen t mus t b e prepare dt o manag e th e busines s risk o f fuel pric e fluctuations n o les s tha nassurin g complianc e wit hrequire dequipmen t m ; intenanc e schedule s an dprovidin g properl y traine dan d qualifie doperatin g personnel .

P.O . BO X 57238 , WASHINGTOK , D C 20037-723 83 . It' s tim e DO T prohibit s al l airline s :ro midentifyin g an dcollectin g specifi c ^^fue l surcharges" ; airlin e '^surcharges' " iacreasingl y ar c mostl y marketin g tactic s an daren' t regulate dfo r

amoun t o r timin g b y s nyone . Whe n fuel cost s las t

spike di n 2008 , i t

b * cam e obviou s tha t

th e "fue l surcharges " th e airline s adde dt o thei r

fare s wer e a s muc hmark c in g tactic s a s aneede dcos t recover y mechanism . Som e carrier s impose d"fue l surcharges " onl y nthei r non-competitiv e markets , imposin g thei r highe r fiiel COST S o n som e an dno t

o n al l passen ; ^er

s buyin g tickets . Som e carriers , accordin g t o som e indusn y commenters , delaye deliminaiir g thei r "fue l surcharges " lon g after th e cos t o f fuel ha d receded . Pzissenger s wh o bough t ticket s wel l i nadvanc e o f thei r trave l dat e an dwh o pai dth e ''fue l surcharge " reportedl y weren' i giv e i refunds , whil e passenger s buyin g ticket s late r for th e sam e flight

didn* t pa y th e surcharge , DO T traditionall y ha s allowe dairline s T < advertis e "fue l surcharges " bt nmandate s tha t thos e extr acharge s b e include dwithi n th e advertise dfare . That* s no t enough . It' s tim e DO T an dth e airline s mad e clear

tha t th e airlin e fare i i whateve r th e airlin e ca ncharge , an dliia t varyin g fuel cost s ar e bu t

on e importan t

elemen t i nt}-. e airlines ' decision s a s t o wha t fare s t o charg e (plu s al l th e extr a"ancillar y fees,' ' o f course) . Si rcharg e languag e ough t t o b e prohibited . Th e Consume r

Trave l Allianc e (CTA ) as o agree s withth e position s i nthi s letter . Than k yo u to r you r consideratio n o f

thi s issu e o f

importanc e t o passengers , raise di nth e recen t Allegian t Ai r filing. Fo r

additiona l inf

o mation , contac t

u s a t toll-fre e phon e 1-855-AlRPAS S (247-7277) . Si i ccrely , BlfRTONJ.RUBl N D i ecto r

' "Surcharges " i

n regulate dIndusaies wer

e tx ai charge

s collecte dfromal l purchasers , an

dihei r inclusio n i n th e COS T bas e wa: ; reviewe

db y regulator s a^ i t o leas * oablcaes s o

f ainoui no f cliaige s an ddates durin

g AMfaic hhigh£ r charge s wer e imposed. I

n contrast , today' s ajr j nes se t thei r ow n feres an d"surcharges " o

n amarke t basi e t o maximiz e revenue . P.O . BO X 57238 , WASHINGTOM , D C 20037-723 8