Comment from Sarah Walsh

Airlines should be required to advertise the full price a consumer will actually pay, including all mandatory taxes and fees, from the very first fare display. Separating these unavoidable charges until the final stage of purchase is misleading because it prevents consumers from making accurate, apples-to-apples comparisons between airlines. Consumers make purchasing decisions based on the prices they see in search results and advertisements. Advertising an artificially low base fare exploits this behavior by creating the impression that a flight is cheaper than it actually is. By the time mandatory fees are revealed, many consumers have already invested time selecting flights, entering passenger information, and progressing through the booking process. This creates a psychological "sunk cost" effect that makes them less likely to abandon the purchase, even if the final price is significantly higher than expected. Mandatory taxes and carrier-imposed fees are not optional add-ons. Unlike optional services such as checked bags or seat upgrades, these charges cannot be avoided. If every passenger must pay them, they are part of the true price of the ticket and should be treated as such in advertising. Requiring upfront disclosure of the total price also promotes fair competition. Airlines should compete on the actual cost of travel, not on how effectively they can obscure unavoidable charges until the end of the transaction. Transparent pricing rewards efficiency and honest marketing while reducing consumer frustration and increasing confidence in the marketplace. Consumers deserve price transparency. The advertised fare should always reflect the amount required to purchase the ticket—not a partial price that becomes substantially higher only after a customer has committed time and effort to the booking process.