Airlines Face Renewed Baggage Fee Disclosure Rules
Published Date: 7/15/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Transportation wants to update and renew rules about how airlines and ticket agents share info on baggage and extra fees. This affects all U.S. and foreign airlines and ticket sellers, making sure travelers know what they might pay. You’ve got until September 14, 2026, to share your thoughts—no extra costs yet, just clearer info coming your way!
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Estimated carrier and agent compliance costs
The Department estimates specific programming and website costs for carriers and ticket agents: Requirement 1 ≈ 2,750 hours and $191,125 total; Requirement 2 ≈ 196,050 hours and $13,625,475 total (carriers $477,812.50; ticket agents $13,147,662.50); Requirement 3 ≈ 117,630 hours and $8,175,285 total (carriers $286,687.50; ticket agents $7,888,597.50); Requirement 4 ≈ 8,250 hours and $573,375 total; Requirement 5 ≈ 2,750 hours and $191,125 total. The Department estimates up to 275 carriers may be affected and up to 7,567 ticket agents may be affected for some requirements.
Homepage baggage-fee alerts
Airlines with websites that sell tickets in the U.S. must promptly and prominently post any increase in fees for a carry-on or a first or second checked bag, and any change in bag allowances, on their homepage. The homepage notice must remain visible for at least three months after the change becomes effective.
Fee notice on first fare screen
When a website first shows a fare quote for a specific itinerary, U.S. and foreign carriers and ticket agents must clearly state that baggage fees may apply and say where to find those fees. Ticket agents may point consumers to the airline's website or to their own pages if they display the airlines' baggage fees.
Baggage details on e-ticket confirmations
All e-ticket confirmations (including post-purchase summary pages and emails) for travel within, to, or from the U.S. must include the passenger's free baggage allowance or the specific fee for a carry-on bag and the first and second checked bag. Airlines must provide this information in text; ticket agents may provide text or a hyperlink to the exact location.
Central page for all optional fees
Airlines must prominently disclose on their websites fees for all optional services and provide a conspicuous link from their homepage directly to a page listing all such fees. Baggage fees must be listed as specific charges; non-baggage fees may be shown as ranges. Carriers are expected to update the page each time a fee changes (about three times per year).
Codeshare fee-difference disclosure
A carrier that markets a codeshare flight must disclose on its website any differences between its optional services/fees and those of the carrier actually operating the flight. The notice can be a conspicuous statement or a hyperlink to the operating carrier's fee listing or a marketing-carrier page that lists the differences.
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Key Dates
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