Airlines Charge Billions in ‘Junk Fees’ to Boost Revenue: Senate Report

The committee report said that airlines increasingly rely on ancillary fees to make billions, raising questions about cost transparency and consumer impact.

A plane sits on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport in California on June 10, 2015. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As millions of Americans prepare for record-setting air travel this holiday season, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report on Nov. 26 detailing the growing reliance of major airlines on ancillary fees.

These charges, sometimes referred to as “junk fees,” have become a vital revenue stream for the airlines while travelers “confront more and increasingly complex fees and fewer options for avoiding them,” according to the report.