The Department of Transportation has proposed rolling back the rule that requires airlines to display a ticket's full price — including taxes and government fees — from the moment a traveler starts searching for flights. Under the proposal, filed as docket DOT-OST-2025-0831, airlines could instead show just the base fare up front, with taxes and fees added in later at checkout.
What changes for travelers
Currently, federal rules require airlines and ticket agents to display the total price travelers will actually pay, taxes and fees included, whenever a fare is quoted. The DOT's proposal would let carriers instead advertise a lower headline number and reveal the rest of the cost later in the booking process — closer to how many other retailers price add-on fees.
How to weigh in
The DOT is accepting public comments on the proposal through August 21, 2026, via the federal eRulemaking portal at regulations.gov, by mail to the DOT Docket Management Facility, or by hand delivery to the department's Washington, D.C. office. The proposal does not yet have a finalized effective date.
Why this matters
All-in pricing was adopted specifically to stop travelers from being lured in by low headline fares that balloon at checkout. If this proposal is finalized, expect comparison shopping to get harder again — the sticker price you see first may not be what you pay.
