Sometimes it seems like airlines would do absolutely anything to squeeze an extra few bucks out of customers. From checked bags, to snacks, to Wi-Fi, it seems like there’s a fee for almost everything. But one lawmaker–Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-Illinois)–appears to be concerned about what kind of charges will be next, and has proposed a bill to prevent airlines from charging bathroom fees in the future.

Lipinski introduced the Comfortable and Fair Flights Act of 2015, in an attempt to combat what he sees as some unreasonable present or potentially future policies from airlines. In a press release from his office he highlighted two key provisions of the proposed legislation–prohibiting airlines from charging for bathroom use, and the fact that many airlines still charge customers baggage fees even if the bags are lost or delayed.

Lipinski stated, via press release:

More and more, when airline passengers get on a flight they expect to suffer from uncomfortable conditions; as a frequent flyer I understand this. One thing they should never have to worry about is access to a bathroom.  Unfortunately, commercial flights are not required to depart with a functioning bathroom, sometimes forcing passengers to endure a trip without this basic necessity.  Moreover, as ancillary fees continue to grow, the specter of an in-flight bathroom fee continues to loom in the background since first being broached in 2010.

Additionally, many of us are all too familiar with paying baggage fees and have come to accept them as part of the flying experience.  While lost and delayed baggage rates are declining, passengers who suffer from this inconvenience do so without the right to a refund, even after hours or days of delay.  Simply put, if you pay for a service, you should get that service promptly or get your money back.

While it may seem totally crazy that airlines would begin charging for bathroom use, it’s not totally out of the realm of possibilities. Ryanair, a European low-budget airline, proposed the idea in 2010, although no American company appears to be suggesting such a notion.

It’s not just about the fees, either, it’s about bathrooms for all. The bill would allow fliers to change their flights if the bathroom on their plane was out of service. According to Popular Mechanics, “FAA regulations do not specify whether airlines must have working restroom facilities aboard; it’s something that remains at the discretion of the airline itself.”

So, it doesn’t look like we’ll be having to shell out cash for bathroom access on flights anytime soon–and that’s a very good thing. But while we’re on the topic, can we get someone to do something about this equally horrifying patent from Airbus?

I’m not sure I would #enjoy the new @Airbus#Patent for #airplane#seat arrangement… pic.twitter.com/ldwLrl8m52

— Giovanni Banzola (@gbanzola) October 15, 2015

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Congressman Introduces Bill to Prevent Airlines from Charging Bathroom Fees appeared first on Law Street.

It’s happened to everyone. You arrive at the airport, ready to jet off to a choice destination. You go up to the counter and suddenly you get hit with some BS fee. Your luggage weighs too much or maybe you have too many bags. You want to change your seat to sit with your family, but you have to pay for that too. It’s all quite infuriating, inconvenient, and most of all, expensive.

These fees have, quite frankly, gotten ridiculous. A recent USA Today study found that there are fees as high as $400 to check an overweight bag (71-100) pounds on international flights for some airlines. American Airlines charges up to $450 for such a bag on some of their international flights. There are  ridiculous charges for changing international flights, up to $400 in some cases. And there are some weird fees that are pretty cheap, but still incredibly annoying. For example, most airlines now charge around $10-$25 to book a round trip ticket from a mobile device. Frequent flier mile users can get charged just to use those miles. For example, Jet Blue and Delta both charge $25 to book a free ticket online or on a mobile device. Keep in mind that these are all just fees that apply to coach customers; first class customers have the potential for even more fees to be levied against them.

According to a few recent polls, baggage fees are hated the most by travelers, but flight change and cancellation fees were a notable second.

Why do airlines charge such exorbitant fees? Well, quite frankly, because they can. They know that people will pay to fly because they have no choice. It’s completely legal for them to institute these fees. It’s not a monopoly, but there are a finite number of places that customers can turn to to get flights. And these fees have been incredibly lucrative  for the companies — as the USA Today piece put it, “according to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 15 U.S. airlines reported revenues of $2.6 billion from baggage fees and $2.1 billion from reservation-change fees during the first three quarters last year.”

A separate survey by Fly.com didn’t focus on the fees that travelers have to pay, but rather the fees they would want to pay. That’s right, airline passengers said they would pay more fees for certain perks, such as a fast pass to get through airline security, a guaranteed overhead bin in their area, or for their checked luggage to come out first.

After all, it would kind of make sense for airlines to offer more extensive kinds of service. In most aspects of life, we are able to choose different features based on affordability and convenience. Currently most airlines only distinguish between coach and first class, leaving travelers with only two options. (Although some airlines do offer things like extra space seats for a little more.)

It’s probably wishful thinking, but charging people only for the things they want — like overhead bin space — may lower the prices for the rest of us?

I know this is an overused gif, but it was too applicable to pass up.

Nah, these prices are never going down, we should all just get used to paying an arm and a leg for some of our flights.

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jason via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Airline Fees Are Getting Even More Annoying appeared first on Law Street.