For once, consumers win: Spirit/Southwest lose challenge to show plane tickets’ real cost

Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines lost a challenge to U.S. rules requiring carriers to prominently display the total cost of a ticket, including taxes, when advertising airfares…the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington rejected the airlines’ allegations that such rules violated the companies’ rights to engage in commercial and political speech.

The judges also rejected Spirit’s challenge to rules allowing customers to cancel their reservations within 24 hours after purchasing a ticket and prohibiting airlines from changing the price of a ticket after purchase by increasing fees for passenger baggage or fuel surcharges.