Airlines Are Asking the Trump Administration to Bring Back Hidden Fees

When the travel booking website Hipmunk Inc. began in 2010, it offered the option to sort flights in order of “agony,” a way to help customers avoid long layovers or multiple stops. It was a clever marketing idea then, but these days the agony is all too real: Airlines are increasingly nickel-and-diming passengers by charging for carry-on bags or creating cramped economy cabins, leaving shoppers to pick the least-worst option rather than the best.

For 83 percent of travelers, the least-worst flight is also the least expensive, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll from August. But extra fees are becoming harder to discern; they’re poorly disclosed and can vary wildly based on the length of your flight, your destination, your frequent-flyer status, or the plastic in your wallet. It should be simple to determine the cheapest option, but booking air travel has devolved into a guessing game.