Articles tagged “ftc”

News Blog

Fee Transparency Could Save U.S. Hotel and Short-Term Rental Customers $1 Billion Per Year

In a long, dense and fascinating proposed rule document the U.S. Federal Trade Commission published earlier this month in the Federal Register, it outlines what the effect of fee transparency will be on the time consumers save to book online. The document outlines the proposed rules, and calculates the times savings and costs involved in…

Travel Booking

Junk Fee Rules: The FTC Received 12,000 Comments – Here’s What They Said

Travel companies have steadfastly denied they mislead consumers regarding their pricing, but their claims have long fallen on deaf ears from travelers. Here's a look at what some travelers and travel brands have said about so-called junk fees.

Junk Fee Rules: The FTC Received 12,000 Comments – Here’s What They Said

Travel Booking

Biden Continues Pressure on ‘Junk Fees,’ FTC Proposes New Rule

The White House has increasingly called out the travel industry for the proliferation of junk fees and now, it has a plan to get rid of the charges that travelers frequently encounter.

Biden Continues Pressure on ‘Junk Fees,’ FTC Proposes New Rule

Online Travel

Google Is Rigged. Just Not the Way Trump Thinks It Is.

Google clearly places its own travel businesses front and center in its search results to the detriment of competitors. Google argues that this benefits consumers. If you buy that argument, then you also probably believe that Google always knows best.

Google Is Rigged. Just Not the Way Trump Thinks It Is.

Online Travel

Travel Brands’ Influencer Campaigns Still Hide Too Much Says the FTC

There are many travel brands that are seemingly in violation of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's new native ad guidelines on how to disclose when social media influencers were paid. Consumers appreciate brands more when they're transparent and develop deeper connections with influencers when they know what they truly support and enjoy when they're not being paid.

Travel Brands’ Influencer Campaigns Still Hide Too Much Says the FTC

Online Travel

Europe’s Tough Stance Against Google Could Shame the FTC Into Action

The European regulatory probe of Google on several fronts is putting pressure on the U.S.'s FTC to jump into the fray after bowing out under less-than-stellar circumstances a few years ago. Still, don't expect any meaningful changes in Google's practices until the regulatory processes likely wind through the courts.

Hotels

The Political Push to Destroy Hidden Hotel Fees Has Begun

While the Truth in Hotel Advertising Act has yet to gain any support in Congress, it represents a blow to ubiquity of hotel resort fees and other surcharges that are traditionally tacked on at the end of a hotel stay.

The Political Push to Destroy Hidden Hotel Fees Has Begun

Media and PR

What Travel Companies Have Against Google on Antitrust Issues

Travel companies speaking out against the all-powerful Google walk a thin line because they are dependent on Google to widely varying degrees. They now have an apparent ally in the European Commission while the U.S. FTC opted out.

What Travel Companies Have Against Google on Antitrust Issues

Online Travel

TripAdvisor CEO Wants Europe to Crack Down on Google’s Anti-Competitive Behavior

TripAdvisor still spends a lot of money with Google so Kaufer's condemnation of Google's practices stands out. Others have been more circumspect.

TripAdvisor CEO Wants Europe to Crack Down on Google’s Anti-Competitive Behavior

Online Travel

Google May Have Appeased the FTC, But Can It Beat Europe’s Regulators?

U.S. and European antitrust authorities have collaborated in their respective probes of Google. Strong antitrust regulatory action in Europe could rekindle interest in the U.S., assuming Google's lobbyists are unsuccessful in squelching it.

Google May Have Appeased the FTC, But Can It Beat Europe’s Regulators?