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Re: How Font Sizes Could Increase Your Travel Costs (fwd)

Besides the link that Lever News provides below, you can submit comments via https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/01/2026-13294/enhancing-flexibility-of-air-fare-price-advertising#open-comment > From: Noelle <noelle> > Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2026 14:37:03 -0700 (PDT) > > > Date: Fri, 07 Aug 2026 20:45:12 +0000 > > From: Lever Reports <http://www.levernews.com/~editor> > > > > Forward this email to others so they can sign up [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/967c43b5?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > > > Airlines Are Lobbying To Change Airfare Font Sizes. It's Gonna Cost You. > > > > By Freddy Brewster > > > > https://www.levernews.com/r/8a7ab8bd?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > > > 👉 Share this article on Bluesky [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/eda93ae3?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > Reddit [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/6f75e18d?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > Mastodon [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/d4ec6c98?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > X [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/7919e7e8?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > and Facebook [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/e8d2156a?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > . > > > > View Article In Browser [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/e8a7c1e4?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > > > For decades, buying a plane ticket hasn’t been a simple process. In the > > late 2000s, consumers were inundated with ads for special $79 or $99 flights, > > but were met with sticker shock when they went to buy the tickets and saw > > the true cost was actually much higher.  > > > > Regulators, recognizing the headache this bait-and-switch created for > > consumers, established regulations requiring airlines to prominently display > > the total ticket cost at checkout. Today, buying a plane ticket still isn’ > > t exactly easy: Consumers have to wade through a web of car and hotel > > bundles, seat upgrades, and baggage fees, but at least when they reach the > > checkout page, they can see the total cost of their flight prominently > > displayed in a larger font size than other charges, such as taxes and fees. > > > > But that may soon change, after airlines and industry groups have spent tens > > of millions lobbying Congress, the White House, and other regulators, and > > donated tens of thousands of dollars to Republican members of Congress. > > > > On July 1, the Department of Transportation, which is run by former reality > > TV star [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/5187780d?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > and airline industry lobbyist [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/6b6827b3?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > Sean Duffy, announced [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/035c08ef?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > that it was seeking public comment on a proposed change in the regulations > > governing how airlines display the total cost of plane tickets. The new > > changes would allow airlines to list the total cost of a ticket in the same > > font size as the other charges — a move utilized by graphic designers, > > advertisers, and companies to trick customers into paying higher prices. > > > > Along with the change in font size rules, the Transportation Department also > > proposed rolling back nine other airfare pricing regulations, such as when > > airlines can use the term “free” in advertisements, as part of the “ > > president's Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] deregulatory > > initiative.” > > > > These rollbacks are the result of a “decades-long project to have more > > misleading advertising and have more shady practices,” said Eden Iscil, > > senior public policy manager at the consumer advocacy group National > > Consumers League. > > > > “Airlines have long opposed these kinds of truth in advertising > > requirements,” Iscil told The Lever. “They always are looking for ways > > that they could charge consumers more without the consumers being aware of > > it.” > > > > The proposed deregulation comes as the cost of plane tickets has increased [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/874f0b78?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > more than 25 percent in the past year, and the four of the largest > > U.S.-based airlines have posted record revenues for the second quarter of > > 2026. American Airlines announced [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/510e3a3a?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > on July 23 that it made $16.7 billion, “the highest quarterly revenue in > > company history.” United reported [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/6c3ec260?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > $17.6 billion in revenue, and Southwest reported [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/5f8915bb?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > a record $8.4 billion in revenue. > > > > Airlines have used some of that windfall to influence policy in Washington, > > including policy regulating airfare font size. Delta, which reported [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/b519150e?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > $17.7 billion in revenue, has spent more than $9 million since President > > Donald Trump took office lobbying the White House, Congress, the > > Transportation Department, and other regulators on the advertising rules and > > other matters, disclosures [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/318bf834?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > show. > > > > While a change in font size may seem inconsequential, academic research has > > found that font sizes can have a subconscious impact on how consumers > > interpret prices, said Rajiv Vaidyanathan, a professor of marketing at the > > University of Minnesota Duluth. > > > > “There's a lot of literature that shows that the size in which a price is > > presented can influence how people evaluate that price, and it's a kind of > > unconscious process,” Vaidyanathan told The Lever. “It can change how > > people feel about the price, even if they are not actually doing any sort of > > calculations on it.” > > > > The regulatory changes being proposed by the Transportation Department are � > > �clearly being driven by the airlines themselves and their lobbyists,” > > said Bill McGee, senior fellow for aviation at the American Economic > > Liberties Project. > > > > “Secretary Duffy has clearly shown himself to be on the side of airlines, > > particularly big airlines, and not passengers, and he has refused to meet > > with consumer advocates,” McGee told The Lever. “He himself is a former > > lobbyist… and at times it appears he's continuing that work.” > > > > Font Size Freedom > > > > In 2012, the Transportation Department implemented the Full Fare Rule, a > > government regulation requiring airlines, travel advisors, and others to > > advertise the full cost of a plane ticket. Previously, airlines and others > > could run ads for flights that did not include the actual cost of the ticket > > — charges such as security fees, airport charges, and other fees were not > > prominently displayed.  > > > > “Consumers felt confused or deceived when the fare provided after an > > initial airfare inquiry did not reflect the total cost of travel,” Trump’ > > s Transportation Department wrote in a summarized history [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/f48c5067?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > of the rule. In 2011, when the rule was being drafted, the department found > > that consumers needed “a full picture of the total price to be paid in > > order to compare fares,” and that “consumers need to be able to see the > > entire price they [must] pay to get to their destination the first time the > > airfare is presented to them.”  > > > > The final rule stated that airlines may not display fees, taxes, and other > > charges “in the same or larger size as the total price,” and in a > > subsequent guidance [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/05cfb731?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > the department stated that the “total price should be in larger font.” > > > > Airlines immediately filed lawsuits [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/c7dac21b?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > to block the rule from going into effect, claiming that the restrictions on > > font size violated the airlines’ First Amendment rights. The United States > > Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/40c77ac7?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > the airlines’ First Amendment argument, deciding that the rule was > > intended to prevent deceptive practices and did not restrict airlines’ > > ability to list itemized charges.  > > > > “Some of us fought tooth and nail for the [Full Fare Rule], and the > > airlines fought back twice as hard, and they never stopped fighting,” > > McGee said. “While our victories on behalf of consumers have been few and > > far between, we can't really rest because [the airlines] immediately start > > lobbying to undo anything that benefits consumers.” > > > > The Trump administration seems to have picked up the airlines’ line of > > thinking. In their proposal to change font size regulations, the Department > > of Transportation wrote that a 2018 Supreme Court ruling [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/12a5f64e?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > “raises questions about whether the Full Fare Rule remains consistent with > > the Supreme Court's First Amendment jurisprudence.” Additionally, the > > Transportation Department stated that a DOGE initiative requires agencies to > > “rescind unconstitutional regulations and regulations that raise serious > > constitutional difficulties.” > > > > The new rules would also let airlines call “attention to the components of > > a fare (e.g., government charges) if they wish to do so,” the > > Transportation Department wrote in its proposal, by allowing them to put > > taxes and the total cost in the same font size. “We believe that there is > > nothing inherently unfair or deceptive in having components of a fare be > > displayed ‘prominently,’ so long as the total price is just as > > prominent.” > > > > A screenshot of a comment submitted to the Transportation Department from " > > Disgusted Embarassed Republican" (Screenshot: Regulations.gov [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/a0549151?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07]) > > > > However, Untapped Pricing, a United Kingdom-based company that uses “ > > psychology and nudge techniques” to influence consumers, called [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/7e2f7c7f?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > displaying prices in smaller font sizes “an easy win” for businesses > > because the smaller font “actually makes [prices] seem like smaller > > numbers.” > > > > “Our brains have a universal conceptualization of size, so we confuse > > visual size with numerical size,” a representative from the company said > > in a video [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/b95dbd6a?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > . "Customers perceive your price to be smaller if you write the price in a > > smaller font size.” > > > > A 2005 peer-reviewed study [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/d89675d4?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology confirmed this. The authors > > found that larger font sizes can make consumers feel that the number is > > larger and smaller font sizes make consumers feel that the number is > > smaller. > > > > “The important takeaway from their paper is that this is not something we' > > re consciously aware is happening,” said Vaidyanathan, the marketing > > professor. “It's an unconscious process, and it operates beneath our > > deliberate reasoning…So, if you put the final price in a smaller font, it' > > ll feel like it's a smaller number.” > > > > Rolling back the font size regulations will ultimately affect consumers in > > two major ways, Vaidyanathan said. > > > > “First, lots of research consistently shows that there will be a > > systematic underestimation of the true cost of the trip, because it becomes > > easy to manipulate consumers' feelings by changing the font size,” he > > said. “The other thing I think that possibly may be a bigger problem is > > that if different airlines present their prices differently, it might make > > cross-airline comparability a lot harder.” > > > > https://www.levernews.com/r/27ca0a8d?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > > > Small Font, Big Money > > > > Since January 2025, American [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/f1eb8699?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07], > > Delta [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/087ba259?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07], > > United [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/a92d59ef?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07], > > and Southwest [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/03f54fea?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > have spent more than $25 million combined lobbying the White House, Congress, > > the Transportation Department, and other regulators, disclosures show.  > > > > Southwest has spent more than $1.3 million since 2025. Although it did not > > lobby on the Full Fare Rule in 2025, in 2024, it spent $1.3 million lobbying > > the government on “airline fare and fee distribution and display [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/c254fae9?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07]�;> > �� and other matters. > > > > In a comment letter [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/c36085f6?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > to the Transportation Department, Southwest stated that it “appreciates > > and supports the [department’s] proposed deregulatory action to remove > > font-size and prominence restrictions on the display of government-imposed > > taxes and fees when advertising air fares.” Southwest also said the rule > > change “could be extremely disruptive,” and that it preliminarily > > opposed other deregulation efforts mentioned in the rule rollback > > announcement. > > > > Delta has yet to file a comment letter, but lobbied specifically [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/f78877e3?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > on the Full Fare Rule and other issues in its $9.1 million influence > > campaign.  > > > > United spent more than $7.6 million lobbying Congress on “customer-related > > issues,” “issues pertaining to aviation taxes and fees [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/7a36e3c3?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07], > > ” and other matters. American spent $7.4 million lobbying Congress, the > > Transportation Department, and other regulators on “consumer protection > > issues [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/01dfb517?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07]�;> > �� and a slew of other matters.  > > > > All four airlines are members of Airlines for America, the top lobbying > > group for the industry, which has been at the center [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/cc62cbcc?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > of [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/089d3898?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > a [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/f39fce8c?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > number [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/93ab7497?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > of [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/38d7a5fe?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > anti-consumer [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/7cd746ad?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > initiatives [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/bbe49cca?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > . > > > > Airlines for America has spent [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/26e6e29a?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > more than $7.5 million since 2025 lobbying on aviation policy, “passenger > > rights [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/8963a568?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07], > > ” federal regulations, and more.  > > > > In a comment letter [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/ba45b77b?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > to the Transportation Department, Airlines for America said it supports “ > > President Trump’s deregulatory agenda” and believes that the proposed > > airfare font size rollback fits within that agenda.  > > > > Airlines for America is led by former governor Chris Sununu, a > > “free market [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/eb945824?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07]�;> > �� Republican who has squabbled with Trump at times, but whom the president > > ultimately encouraged [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/feadcba9?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > to run for the state’s senate seat. Sununu and other top Airlines for > > America executives have donated more than $62,000 into the election coffers > > of a number of GOP candidates, including $10,000 to the political action > > committee [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/e72cc99e?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > to reelect Senate Republicans, $6,000 [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/a718b7ae?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > to Sen. Jerry Moran [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/d2f1e0aa?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > (R-Kan.), who chairs the Senate subcommittee [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/3592d266?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > overseeing airlines, and $10,000 to Rep [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/e410bfc3?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > . Steve [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/fcef6519?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > Scalise [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/f18357c0?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > (R-La.), the Majority Leader [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/79367317?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > for House Republicans. > > > > The airlines’ lawsuits, lobbying money, and pressure to roll back the font > > size requirement are a part of a plan to “dupe” consumers into > > purchasing higher-priced plane tickets, said McGee. > > > > “It's very frustrating that we're even discussing the potential rollback > > of such a successful and common sense regulation,” he said. “This is > > pretty bare bones when it comes to regulation. This is not something that's > > excessive. This is not something that's causing undue cost to the industry. > > This is something that is just easy to do and easy to comply with, and makes > > all the sense in the world.” > > > > The deadline to file comments with the Transportation Department is Aug. 21. > > Comments can be submitted here [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/37292ba8?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > . > > > > Click Here To Comment [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/e04aa33b?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > > > ---------------------------------------- > > > > Help us spread the word! Please forward this email to family and friends. > > > > Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up for free [ > > https://www.levernews.com/r/a4fd58d9?m=c7c41f62-6bc5-4c98-ae9b-16d6eceafe07 > > to receive original reporting like this in your inbox every day. > > > > The Lever © 2026 –


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