Senate targets airline  junk fees  amid record profits - video Dailymotion

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Transcript

00:00They are piggy banks to be shaken down by these skyrocketing fees."

00:07A bipartisan Senate panel criticizing airlines for charging so-called junk fees, which they

00:12say raise prices for customers and are pure profit for air carriers.

00:17Wednesday's hearing comes after a Senate report released last week showed U.S. airlines made

00:22more than $12 billion on seat fees alone during the past five years.

00:28That includes charges for things like extra legroom and aisle seats.

00:32But executives argue they are giving customers choices while their companies face rising

00:37costs.

00:38"...our customers who prioritize affordability have the option to choose a lower fare product

00:43and in doing so opt out of paying for additional services they do not need."

00:48The committee also found lower-budget airlines Spirit and Frontier paid more than $26 million

00:54in bonuses to their employees for making passengers check bags at the gate.

00:59"...your airlines are paying millions of dollars to your employees to harass people who've

01:03already paid.

01:05They're there in line because they've already paid."

01:06"...if a gate agent has a higher level of complaints, we have the ability to remove the incentive

01:13program from them."

01:14The Biden administration has made it a priority to tackle these junk fees, and in October,

01:19a new rule was finalized that mandates automatic refunds for canceled or significantly delayed

01:25flights.

01:26But the prices don't seem to be hurting air travel, with TSA screening a record 3 million

01:31passengers the Sunday after Thanksgiving.