Biden, California lawmakers going to war against ‘junk fees’ on hotels, concert tickets and airlines

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Think of “junk fees” this way, says Susan Rice: You go to a department store and buy a pair of blue jeans. At the register, you pay the price that’s marked on the item plus tax. Period. But buy a concert ticket, an airline ticket, or pay your cable bill, and it’s too often not that simple, said Rice, President Joe Biden’s domestic policy adviser. The concert ticket may be advertised at $150. The airline ticket was listed at $200. But when you get the bill, it costs more due to a “convenience fee,” or “service fee” or seating charge or whatever. In California and Washington...