Spirit, Frontier get rid of change and cancelation fees
FILE - A Frontier Airlines plane prepare to take off from Harry Reid International Airport as a Spirit Airlines plane taxis. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Two major airlines in the U.S. announced changes to their policies in recent days.
Spirit and Frontier are doing away with flight change and cancelation fees.
Frontier said in a press release last week that ‘The New Frontier’ for the airline includes greater flexibility, enhanced customer service and zero change or cancelation fees for most of its tickets.
Spirit’s website now reads "Cancel fees are canceled for everyone" and "change fees are gone for all."
Frontier still charges basic fare ticketholders a $99 cancelation fee, per passenger, per direction, and a fee to change the flight less than 60 days out, according to its website.
But the move is in a bid to provide greater pricing transparency.
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Biden junk fees
The airlines’ changes follow a ruling from the Department of Transportation (DOT) last month that requires better disclosure of fees on baggage and changing or canceling a reservation.
DOT estimated that the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, and Alaska Airlines, along with their industry trade group, sued the Transportation Department in a federal appeals court, asking the court to overturn the rule.
They say the new rule would confuse consumers by giving them too much information during the ticket-buying process.
Among the nation's six biggest airlines, only Southwest did not join the legal challenge. Southwest said the rule will have little to no effect on it because the Dallas-based carrier lets passengers check two bags for free and has never charged extra fees for changing or canceling reservations.
RELATED: Most common hidden ‘junk fees’ and how much they cost you
DOT’s ruling is part of a larger push President Joe Biden has taken to eliminate so-called "junk fees," a push that reaches outside the travel industry to numerous other services such as event ticketing and internet.
This story was reported from Detroit. The Associated Press contributed.