Two U.S. senators want checked bag fees charged by airlines to go on a summer vacation, blaming them for the long security check-in lines making headlines nationwide, reported
The Hill.
Sens. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent a letter Tuesday to 12 airlines asking them to drop the checked bag fees and noting that with the drop in fuel prices the fees are no longer needed.
Markey's website claimed that baggage fees have caused a 27 percent increase in carry-on bags, which then creates longer lines and wait times.
"We write in the wake of reports of staggeringly-long lines expected this summer at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening checkpoints in airports across the country," both Markey and
Blumenthal's websites said.
"We call on airlines to take a smart, common sense step to help thwart this growing problem: stop charging checked bag fees during the coming summer months, the busiest travel season of the year. Without charges for checking their bags, passengers will be far less likely to carry them on, which snarls screening checkpoints and slows the inspection process."
Their letter was sent to American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Allegiant, JetBlue, Alaska Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin America, Sun Country, and Island Air Hawaii, said The Hill.
The TSA has been under fire for long lines, inadequate staffing for screening, and security lapses. American Airlines told the
Chicago Tribune in April that more than 1,000 passengers missed flights at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in one month because of TSA lines.
A Congressional oversight committee was also investigating allegations that the agency retaliated against its own employees who reported security lapses and awarded bonuses to supervisors who ignored their warnings,
The New York Times reported in February.
In March, Markey and Blumenthal introduced the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act in Congress, attempting to prohibit airlines from imposing fees, including cancellation, change and bag fees "that are not reasonable and proportional to the costs of the (service) provided."
The Aviation industry group Airlines For America said that the act was an attempt to regulate the airline industry again, reported the
Dallas Morning News.