New legislation could change how airfares are displayed and impact other passenger-oriented rules

Under new proposed Federal Aviation Administration legislation there are several provisions that are being debated in Congress that would affect airline passengers. Perhaps most hotly contested is a possible change that would reverse full-fare advertising rules established in 2012. Under the new proposal, airlines would be allowed to quote an initial, low “base” ticket price and then add taxes and fees later in the booking process.  Proponents say this change would be better for passengers since they would know exactly how much they would be paying for the fare itself and how much of the total price comes from taxes and fees. Consumer groups say the current advertising requirements are better for travelers because they help to prevent misleading or bait-and-switch advertising.  

Other customer-focused changes being consider include:

• Requiring airlines to provide more effective alert messages when their computer systems suffer widespread outages.
• Preventing airlines from bumping passengers who have already boarded full aircraft.
• Prohibiting voice calls during flights. Cellphone calls are already not allowed, but with the growth of Wi-Fi services such as Skype the revised ban would include any wireless calls other than by flight crew or law enforcement.

Direct rail service linking London and Amsterdam is launched; may lead to lower airfares

Eurostar is now offering the first direct rail service from London to Amsterdam.  The journey, which is scheduled to take just over 3.5 hours, will be offered twice daily on weekdays and once a day on weekends. With a low ticket price of just 35 Euros one-way, industry watchers are expecting the new rail service to spark a price war with the airlines.

Travelers should note that the direct rail service is currently only available in one direction, from London to Amsterdam. Passport control agreements have yet to be reached for travel back to London. So, for now, London-bound passengers must connect in Brussels for passport control.