As the holiday season gets underway, I want to take this opportunity to talk about a couple things my office is working on to help protect consumers in the coming months.

Last week, I signed on to sponsor the First Bag Flies Free Act. As many of you travel through the holidays, the nickel-and-dime fees now being charged by the airlines will, no doubt, eat into your traveling budget. It used to be that passengers were allowed two bags per ticket plus carry-on luggage without incurring fees.

Now, charges ranging from $15 to $25 for the first bag per one-way trip drive up the cost of traveling by air. When the major carriers introduced the first checked bag fees, it was with the understanding it was to help offset the cost of ever-rising fuel prices.

In the past year, fuel costs have sharply decreased. Yet, the new fees are still present and are increasing all the time. The airline industry is not immune to the struggling economy, but charging for bags hasn’t seemed to have the desired effect.

More people are trying to fit their belongings into a carry-on bag and not use the checked bag service. But this causes delays in security as more pieces of luggage are examined. It also causes flight delays due to boarding as flight attendants and passengers fight for limited overhead space.

Many have pointed out this new policy puts disabled passengers at a decisive disadvantage. Many disabled fliers are unable to physically lug heavy carry-on bags through security and down to the gate, much less lift the bags over their heads to put in overhead bins. Therefore, they are forced to check their baggage and pay the baggage fee.

Many airlines continue to struggle in the recession, and they are trying to find new sources for revenue. Yet, it seems consumers continue to pay higher fees and are seeing less and less service for their hard earned dollars.

JetBlue and Southwest Airlines aren’t charging for the first checked bag. JetBlue made a profit in the third quarter of 2009. While it is important for major carriers to survive, consumers should not suffer the brunt of the pain by paying more and while getting less.

As we all know, our consumers aren’t just facing issues in the air. I recently contacted Secretary Steven Chu at the Department of Energy and Lisa Jackson, the EPA Administrator, asking the agencies to verify that Energy Star appliances meet the required specifications for energy efficiency. It has been reported recently that some products carrying Energy Star labels may fall short of the energy saving benefits set forth by the Energy Star program.

My intent is to encourage DOE and EPA to regulate the Energy Star program as it gears up toward the upcoming tax rebate for consumers buying energy-efficient appliances. It is important that appliances carrying the Energy Star label actually reduce energy use and save consumers money.

The upcoming tax rebates for energy-efficient appliances will give people the opportunity to upgrade their appliances with incentives while reducing their monthly bills. More than $300 million of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have been designated to help states implement this tax rebate for energy efficiency.

However, consumers must have confidence in the Energy Star label as they shop for these appliances. They must have faith in the integrity of the program and have accurate information that will help them make informed decisions.

While the Holiday season is a joyous time of year, consumers can easily fall victim to deceptive practices. We need to make sure our economy is actually working for folks. That is the only way consumer confidence will rebound and our economy will fully recover.



Congressman Larry Kissell (D-N.C. -8) offices include Rockingham: 230 East Franklin St., Rockingham, NC 28379, Phone: 997-2070; Concord number (704) 786-1612; Fayetteville number (910) 920-2070; Washington office: 512 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515; phone (202) 225-3715. Web site, kissell.house.gov