Air travelers upset over paying à la carte fees for checked bags and other once-free services may take heart from new rules proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that would require airlines to report 18 separate categories of ancillary fees.

It won't get travelers out of paying any of them, but it should make clear just how much money they're spending.

"It's definitely going to arm consumers," said George Hobica of AirfareWatchdog.com. "There are some fees they already know about, but some are really hidden."
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Other fees, however, including those for seating assignments, unaccompanied minors and on-board sales of food, drink, pillows, entertainment and other amenities, are currently reported in larger, combined categories and therefore cannot be quantified separately.