Airlines sue Transportation Department over rules requiring fee disclosures

Several U.S. airlines and a major lobbying group sued the U.S. Transportation Department over new regulations mandating upfront disclosure of certain fees.

The complaint was filed Friday in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by industry trade group Airlines for America and the carriers whose parents are American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp., as well as Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines. They allege that the department overstepped its authority in issuing the new regulations, calling them “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise contrary to law.”

The final rules unveiled last month require carriers and ticket agents to clearly communicate their extra charges upfront for checked luggage, carry-on bags or for canceling or changing reservations.

DOT, at the time, said the regulations would save travelers more than half a billion dollars a year by helping them avoid surprise fees.