WASHINGTON (AP) – A Senate panel approved an aviation policy bill Wednesday after a partisan fight over whether airlines gouge consumers with fees for basic services like checked bags, seat assignments and ticket changes.
The Senate commerce committee approved by voice vote a bill to continue the Federal Aviation Administration’s authority to operate through Oct. 1, 2017. That authority is due to expire on March 31.
The committee’s Democrats, led by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., tried to add a provision to the bill to prohibit airlines from setting unreasonable fee prices and direct the Transportation Department to establish what is reasonable. The amendment failed on a party-line tie vote.
Consumers are being “gouged” by excessive fees, but they don’t have any choice but to pay them if they want to get to their destination, Markey said.
“There is some really bad behavior going on here, particularly in those routes where there is no competition and they can get away with whatever they want to do because there is no alternative,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.