---
title: The Fare You See When You Shop for Flights May Stop Being the Full Price
description: The US Department of Transportation has proposed loosening the Full Fare Advertising Rule, so airlines could show taxes and fees as prominently as the total fare.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-27T21:16:48.995Z
canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/the-fare-you-see-when-you-shop-for-flights-may-stop-being-the-full-price
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/airfare-advertising-rule-216418.webp
categories: Smart Travel
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Rich Travel Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

The all-in airfare US airlines must show you today, with taxes and mandatory fees built into the biggest number on the page, could stop being the figure that stands out first when you shop for a flight. The Department of Transportation has proposed loosening the Full Fare Advertising Rule, the requirement that keeps the complete price front and center in airfare ads, and the public comment period on the plan closed on August 21.

## The Transportation Department Wants to Relax How Prominently the Total Fare Must Appear

Under the proposal, published in the Federal Register on July 1, the department would [allow the total fare, including taxes and fees, to be displayed with the same prominence as any single fare component](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/01/2026-13294/enhancing-flexibility-of-air-fare-price-advertising). It would also drop the current rule that individual pieces such as taxes and government fees may not appear as prominently as the total price, and it would rescind nine guidance documents airlines have followed on how fares are advertised.

For a traveler, the shift is about emphasis. Airlines would still show the total price. That total would no longer have to be the most prominent number on the screen, so a base fare or a broken-out fee could sit beside it in equal size.

## DOT Says Travelers Would Still See the Total Price Clearly

The department presents the revisions as added flexibility in how carriers lay out a fare rather than a retreat from disclosure. It says the changes would ensure greater flexibility in how air fare is displayed while ensuring information is presented clearly to consumers, and it ties the approach to a provision of the Internal Revenue Code governing how taxes are shown in air-transport advertising.

## Passenger and Consumer Groups Say It Will Make Price Shopping Harder

FlyersRights, an airline passenger organization founded in 2007 that bills itself as the largest of its kind, filed comments opposing the proposal. Its president, Paul Hudson, said the change is a license for airlines to confuse, deceive, and make it more difficult for passengers to price shop. Hudson argued that passengers need transparency on the prices airlines actually compete on, airfare and optional fees, rather than on the mandatory taxes and federal charges the carriers do not set. By the group's account, the Full Fare Advertising Rule dates to 1984, was updated in 2011, and took its current all-in form in 2012.

Truth in Advertising, a consumer watchdog, also filed comments against the plan, warning it [could make it harder to know what you'll actually pay for a flight](https://truthinadvertising.org/blog/tina-org-tells-dot-dont-muddy-airline-pricing/).

## A Separate July Rule Already Eased Fee Disclosure

The proposal arrives alongside another recent move on [airline pricing](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/us-airfares-up-17-percent-trips-flat-july-2026). On July 2, the department issued a final rule restoring the ancillary-fee disclosure standards that were in place before 2024, after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated its 2024 fee-transparency rule.

With the comment period closed, the proposal now sits with the department for a decision. It has not set a date for any change to take effect, and the current all-in display requirement stays in force while the agency weighs the record.

## FAQ

**Q: What is the Full Fare Advertising Rule?**
It is the Department of Transportation requirement that airlines advertise a ticket's total price, including all mandatory taxes and government fees, and show that total more prominently than any individual component. Its current all-in form has been in effect since 2012.

**Q: Would this let airlines hide taxes and fees?**
No. The proposal does not remove the requirement to include taxes and fees in the total price. It changes how prominent that total has to be, allowing individual components to appear with equal prominence. FlyersRights and Truth in Advertising argue this could make the full price harder to spot; DOT says the total would still be presented clearly.

**Q: Do airlines still have to show the total price?**
Yes. The total fare would still be displayed. What changes is that it would no longer have to be the single most prominent figure in the ad.

**Q: When would the change take effect?**
Not yet, and no effective date has been set. The comment period closed on August 21, 2026, and the proposal is now pending a DOT decision. The current all-in display rule remains in force until any final rule is issued.