On Sunday, Senator Charles Schumer urged the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation to investigate a price comparison freeze out among airlines.
Schumer's push for a new investigation comes after the announcement that the Department of Justice will investigate possible collusion between airlines.
The freeze out involves airlines withholding flight prices and information from third-party price comparison websites. Schumer says this practice would make it almost impossible for many consumers who rely on bargain hunting when purchasing flights. Sites like Expedia, Orbitz and TripAdvisor allow consumers to save hundreds of dollars when booking flights. The freeze out could cause consumers to spend an additional $6 billion a year in airfare and discourage over 40 million passengers from traveling by plane. Price comparison sites worry this practice could expand. Currently, two airlines withhold price and flight information to third party price comparison sites.
