New Federal Rule Bans Hidden Hotel and Ticket Junk Fees

It’s difficult to comparison shop online when prices displayed don’t include mandatory fees—commonly called “junk fees”—tacked on at checkout.

“Junk fees are an enormous scourge in the American economy,” said Erin Witte, director of Consumer Protection at the Consumer Federation of America. “Everyone can think of a time when they’ve been charged a fee that they didn’t expect, didn’t think they should have to pay for, or felt was unjustified.”

This deceptive practice…