Airfare quotes to include all taxes, fees

Who among us hasn't been hoodwinked by the lure of seemingly rock-bottom airfares, only to find out the promo prices don't include taxes and fees?

Take the "Flight Deals to Europe" promotion I found recently on American Airlines' Web site. Seattle to Rome for $381 for travel into mid-June sounded like a steal. But wait. That was one way based on buying a round trip. Still, $762 sounded pretty good, but ... as the fine print indicated, that didn't include $92 in taxes and fees. The fare, once I clicked through to book, was $853.

Such practices are to end Thursday, when new federal airline passenger-protection rules will require airlines and online booking sites to include taxes and fees in all advertised fares.

"Currently, airlines can exclude government-imposed taxes and fees as long as they put a link next to the fare," said Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Mosley. "Under the new rules, they will have to incorporate taxes and fees into the fare that's stated -- the first fare that the customer sees."

No longer acceptable, he said, will be listing prices, not including taxes and fees, in big, bold type, with the bottom-line price in small print.

Airlines asked in August that the new rules be delayed until January so they would have time to redo their computer systems. Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air have challenged the rules in court, but the DOT says it intends to begin enforcement, and most airlines say they are ready to comply.

Earlier this month British Airways was quoting its winter sale fares from Seattle to Europe with $150-$320 worth of taxes and fees included.

Virgin America is in the process of changing its displays to reflect the true prices, said a spokesman. Virgin currently includes taxes and fees in trip summaries, but not in fare promotions, or on the page for selecting flights.

Alaska Airlines, too, is making changes, and says it will include total fares in its advertisements and online booking tools by the January deadline.

Right now, a search on its Web site by "schedule" brings up a list of one-way base fares. Prices, including taxes and fees, show up once you hover over the fare to began to select flights. After Thursday, the total fare will appear on the initial display.

Other rule changes will:

● Allow you to hold a reservation without payment for 24 hours, or to cancel it without penalty within that time period, if you've booked a week or more in advance. Many airlines already allow this.

● Ban airlines or third-party ticket agents from raising prices after you've purchased a ticket. Allegiant Air earlier proposed offering passengers a variable-price ticket, where the final fare could rise or fall based on the cost of fuel.

● Require airlines to disclose checked-baggage fees at the time of booking.

Airlines have asked for a one-year delay in two other rules regulating baggage fees.One rule guarantees that the same baggage fees and luggage allowances apply to itineraries involving multiple carriers. The other would require airlines to disclose baggage fees on e-ticket confirmations. The government is reviewing the request for a delay.

The most recent changes follow other protections that went into effect in August. Those included increased compensation for passengers bumped from flights, limits on how long international flights can sit on a tarmac, and refunds of checked bag fees if the airline loses your luggage.