September 23, 2010, is Mad as Hell Day.
If you are fed up with airlines nickel-and-diming you with hidden fees, then you’ll want to participate in Mad as Hell Day.
Having paid more than $50 in checked bag fees, $15 for in-flight snacks and $8 for a pillow and blanket for my overtired child on a recent flight to Hawaii for my grandmother’s funeral, I was more than interested in learning the facts about Mad as Hell Day.
The event is the brainchild of three travel advocacy groups: the Business Travel Coalition, American Society of Travel Agents and Consumer Travel Alliance. The three have banded together to fight back against exorbitant airline fees. The groups just unveiled a new website called, MadAsHellAboutHiddenFees.com, and it’s already generating plenty of buzz.
The site is designed to allow livid passengers to vent about unexpected airline fees. The forums are filled with irate travelers sharing stories about surprise fees. There is also a section where you can sign a petition protesting a la carte airline fees.
In addition, by visiting the site you can learn how to get involved in Mad as Hell Day. The groups chose September 23rd because it is the deadline for comments on the latest proposals from the Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding hidden airline fees.
The DOT is not a fan of the fees and officials with the department have not been shy about speaking out about their plans to hold airlines accountable for their actions.
“Airline passengers have rights and should be able to expect fair treatment when they fly,” DOT spokesman Bill Mosely told NBC News. “We want to raise the bar for airlines when it comes to treating passengers fairly.”
The DOT says its goal is to expand on existing passenger protections. Among other things the department wants to require fair-price advertising, increase compensation for involuntary bumps, and promote better disclosure of baggage fees and other nominal charges.
If you want more information on Mad as Hell Day, visit the new website.
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