The FTC warns that some travel companies hide extra charges until checkout, so a cheap-looking flight or room can cost far more than it first appears.
Before you book a holiday flight or hotel, know this: the price you first see may not be the price you pay. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the US agency that protects shoppers, is warning that some travel companies add extra charges and make them hard to spot. Others bury them in the fine print, hoping you will not notice until it is too late.
The alert covers flights, hotels and other travel purchases. The concern is not one company or one site. It is a pattern: a low price up front, then added fees that show up late in the process, or in text most people skip. The FTC's notice says companies are counting on shoppers missing them.
Anyone booking travel is exposed, especially people shopping online for the holidays. Busy seasons push many people to book fast, and rushing is when a fee is easiest to miss. If you are not planning any trips, you can relax for now.
The alert box above lists simple steps. The main idea is to check the full price, with every fee, before you enter payment details. Then compare that final number across sites, not just the first price each one shows. Keep your booking page and receipt in case you need to dispute a charge.
The FTC notice is short. It does not name any companies, list specific fees or give figures on how much extra shoppers have paid. It also does not say whether new action is planned. Until more detail comes out, the safest habit is to treat every travel price as unfinished until you see the total.
Check the total price with all fees before you pay, and keep your booking page and receipt in case a surprise charge appears.
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