Hawley introduces legislation to end airline extortion

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the End Airline Extortion Act which would protect Americans from predatory airline practices regarding fares and additional fees.

“Airline companies treat their customers like cattle. It’s offensive. They charge fliers different prices for the same flights – and sometimes different prices for bags and carry-ons. Now they’re paying their employees bounties to harass customers trying to get on the plane. It’s wrong. And frankly, it needs to be illegal,” said Senator Hawley.

Last week, Senator Hawley confronted executives of America’s major airlines for charging billions in nonsensical fees and harassing passengers who have already paid for their flights.

The End Airline Extortion Act would:

• Prohibit airlines from paying “bounties” or other incentives to employees if they require passengers to pay additional fees for baggage, seating, or other services as a condition of boarding a flight.
• Ban discriminatory pricing by barring airlines from using personal characteristics—such as sex, family status, or disability status—as a basis for charging higher prices for fares or fees to passengers on the same flight.

Read full bill text here.