U.S. Probes Airlines Over Possible Price-Gouging After Amtrak Crash

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Friday his department is opening an investigation into allegations of price-gouging by five airlines after a deadly Amtrak crash curtailed train service for days in the Northeast.

The Transportation Department was sending letters Friday to Delta, American, United, Southwest and JetBlue seeking information on allegations they “raised fees beyond what you’d normally expect,” Foxx said.

The inquiry is separate from a Justice Department investigation already underway, he said.

“We have sufficient information to be concerned about it,” Foxx told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

The inquiry is “focused on getting to the bottom of whether unfair practices were involved in setting prices at that time.”

The May derailment in Philadelphia left eight dead, injured dozens and interrupted service for nearly a week.