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Airlines faced harsh criticism from a Senate panel chief over their increasing fees for baggage and seat selections, highlighting growing concerns about carriers’ revenue-generating practices.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, leading the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, organized a Wednesday hearing with executives from major carriers including American, United, Delta, Spirit, and Frontier Airlines.

“Airlines these days view their customers as little more than walking piggy banks to be shaken down for every possible dime,” Blumenthal said in prepared remarks.

His committee’s recent report revealed that the five airlines generated $12.4 billion from seat fees over a five-year period starting in 2018.

The year-long investigation uncovered airlines’ use of algorithms for fee determination and potential tax avoidance tactics by categorizing certain charges as non-taxable fees.

The investigation also exposed practices of targeting specific customers with higher prices based on their perceived willingness to pay more.

While airlines maintain their fee structures are clear and necessary for business sustainability, industry executives defended their positions at the hearing.

American Airlines’ Stephen Johnson plans to explain that traditional carriers must compete for budget-conscious travelers, while Delta’s Peter Carter emphasized their commitment to customer value in his written testimony.

The investigation also revealed that budget airlines Frontier and Spirit compensated gate agents for identifying unpaid baggage fees, paying $26 million in incentives during 2022-2023.

Frontier offers $10 incentives for each gate-checked bag, a practice CEO Barry Biffle defended to Reuters by comparing fee evasion to shoplifting.

The industry’s resistance to fee regulation continues, with airlines challenging recent Transportation Department disclosure rules and previously opposing bipartisan legislation aimed at regulating baggage and change fees.