In a 55-page report, the majority staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released on Tuesday its findings after a year-long inquiry into five U.S. airlines’ ancillary fees, which the report said have led to higher costs and worse experiences for consumers and, in some cases, tax avoidance by the airlines.

A US Senate investigative panel blasted airlines for increasingly charging so-called “junk fees” to help boost their bottom lines, saying the practice has increased costs and complexity for consumers.

A Senate report slammed airline "junk fees" as Thanksgiving travel already made difficult by winter weather in some states.