Just how much are those airline fees?

Airlines are expected to earn $57 billion from fees this year — $7 billion just from baggage fees — and Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood joined attorneys general from 16 states in asking that consumers be told about these charges up-front when booking a flight.

The attorneys general in a letter last week asked U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to reverse the department’s decision to withdraw a rule requiring the charges be disclosed at the beginning of the booking process so consumers can know the full cost of their plane tickets.

The Transportation Department announced announced earlier this month it was withdrawing the Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees rule, and said in an online post it would have been “of limited public benefit.”

Typically when booking a flight online, carry-on baggage fees, checked baggage fees, seat fees and other charges are not disclosed until booking is nearly complete or even after tickets are purchased. The rule would have required airlines to post all the fees up front at the beginning of the booking process, rather than surprising consumers at the end.

According to a 2016 study, travelers paid an average of $100 in fees per round-trip on Spirit airlines, $97 on Frontier, and $86.92 on United.

Other states whose attorneys general signed the letter are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia.

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Just how much are those airline fees?."