Spirit Airlines Will Now CHARGE A Fee For Carry-On Bags

Spirit Airlines, the Florida-based budget carrier, announced this morning that it will become the first American airline to impose a fee for carry-on baggage.

While passengers will still be permitted to bring a small bag aboard free of charge -- so long as its dimensions are within the 16"x14"x12" limit, USA Today reports -- any luggage stored in the overhead compartment will incur a fee that starts at $20 and can go as high as $45.

Members of Spirit Airlines's $9 Fare Club (which, for $39.95 per year, gives members access to exclusive fares, according to the Wall Street Journal), will pay $20 for carry-on baggage. Passengers who are not members of the club but who reserve a spot in the overhead bin in advance will be charged $30. Only nonmembers who wait until they're at the gate to pay will be subject to the $45 charge.

Spirit, which has hubs in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Detroit, Michigan, maintains that the new fee will allow the company to keep fares low by giving "customers the option of paying only for the services they want and use rather than subsidizing the choices of others."

The concept of awarding lower fees for forethought may be part of a global trend: while European discount airline Ryanair does not yet charge fliers extra to store luggage in overhead compartments, the carrier does require that all passengers check-in online prior to their flight and bring a printout of the boarding pass to the airport. Any passenger who does not print out the boarding pass in advance is slapped with a £40/€40 fee.

Comments

[noaxe397]

09:14 AM on 04/08/2010

The answer is: fly less. Let me ask: just where do all these people have to go to that every plane in every airport is packed to capacity?

What is so important in peoples' lives that they just have to fly somewhere?

Vacation locally. Nothing where you live? Move.
Business travel? 80% of it is unnecessary. Ever hear of the internet?

Two weeks ago I was ready to board my flight on US Air. The passenger in front of me was rejected for boarding and told to return to the podium. That passenger was a TWELVE YEAR OLD girl travelling unaccompanied in violation of airline rules (you have to be 15 to fly alone.)

A twelve year old kid alone in the friendly skies. The desperation that made someone put this kid alone on a flight needs to stop even if it means regulating who can and cannot fly.

[Ares1]

12:10 AM on 04/08/2010

I'm sure the next step is to charge for the toilet.

[Katco]

08:02 PM on 04/07/2010

For this sure-to-go-viral story of loos-for-pay, we turn to our mates at the UK's Daily Mail on British discount air carrier, Ryanair:

Ryanair has confirmed that it is pushing ahead with its controversial scheme to charge passengers for use of toilets on its aircraft, meaning spending a penny on a flight will soon cost as much as a pound.

The no-frills airline is working with Boeing to redesign the cabin and develop coin-operated toilets on 168 of its planes.

Not content with charging passengers for use of the facilities, the airline is also looking at reducing the number of toilets on board, leaving just one available cubicle for up to 189 passengers.

Wow. Remember when flying was fun? What next?

[JofO]

02:19 PM on 04/07/2010

The Spirit Airlines complaint email is:

[e-mail]

[sorry I posted it wrong in my previous post]

[JofO]

02:18 PM on 04/07/2010

I complained to Spirit about this absurd new policy, and here is the response I got:
[here is the complaint email address, by the way: [e-mail] ]
--------------------------
"Everyone wins with Spirit's new policy. If you continue to carry on a bag, you will pay the same or less before, because we have lowered fares, plus you now get priority boarding.

"If you decide to check your bag or not bring a bag, then you save money versus prior to today. So who loses? No one! Customers should actually be outraged at other airlines that make them pay for services they don't use.

"Spirit believes that it is important to let customers decide what is of value to them. Sure, we could charge more and include a carry-on, but that presumes that is what all customers want.

"By lowering the fare for everyone and then charging only those who choose to carry on, we let the customer decide. Imagine if you went to a restaurant and all the meals came with dessert. That's great if you like dessert, but if you don't, you would prefer the option to pay less for the meal and not take the dessert.

"Sincerely,

"Paula Martin
"Corporate Consumer Relations
"Spirit Airlines, Inc."
---------------------------------

I don't even know how to respond to this nonsensical answer.

[philosopherkingtomas]

01:05 PM on 04/07/2010

i HATE carry on , check it or pay baby

[evesapple]

12:11 PM on 04/07/2010

So now it's "How to look good while flying in a plane naked"?

[GerryS]

11:50 AM on 04/07/2010

makes me glad I do not have to fly on Spirit--------

[Villagesviewpoint]

09:10 AM on 04/07/2010

Lets see, Southwest airlines doesn't charge for checked bags, and Spirit charges for them as well as carry ons.

Gee, which airline would you "CHOOSE" to fly?

Does Spirit think that they are the only game in town? Or don't they understand the "CHOOSE" thing?

[KCFreedom]

11:04 PM on 04/06/2010

It's to the point you might as well ride on the back of a chicken truck than fly on a U.S. airline anymore.

Hitchhiking might even be better...

[Kevin Atlanta]

10:24 PM on 04/06/2010

I stopped flying after the shoe bomber and now have a wonderful time sailing to Central America. The Airlines are screwing themselves and I refuse to pander to the fear-mongering and hate-mongering of a domestic terrorist force like Homeland Security that is neither making us more secure nor represents our "homeland" in Bush Nazi style.
There are other options and I'm enjoying every one I can find.
F U to the airlines, to the Homeland Security and Hello to enjoying travel once again.

[JM35]

10:22 PM on 04/06/2010

I'm to the point where I would rather spend two days driving home to see family than give these money grubbing vultures my money. This is getting out of hand.

[SilverShrimp0]

08:25 PM on 04/06/2010

We seriously need to get moving on a nationwide network of high speed rail. As the price of oil continues to climb, these practices are just going to get worse.

With a well developed HSR network, airlines can forget about most of the short hops on regional jets where they only lose money anyway, and focus on long-haul routes that are more profitable. This will also cut our oil usage significantly, meaning lower fuel prices, and lower dependence on foreign oil.

[vlm1948]

08:28 PM on 04/06/2010

Agreed.

[KCFreedom]

11:06 PM on 04/06/2010

The problem is the Homeland Security weenies want to bring "airport-style" security to trains as well.

The latest nominee for the head of H.S. was all for it, but now he's history. I guarantee the companies that do the full body scanners are parading their nominee to the White House right now.

[miriamfl]

07:56 PM on 04/06/2010

I recenty got their credit card and already have enough for a ticket however I will be cancelling this card.

[ecotopian]

07:08 PM on 04/06/2010

From the NY Times: "“Nobody brings their package to FedEx or U.P.S. and expects them to ship it for free,” said Ben Baldanza, the chief executive of Spirit Airlines." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/business/07bags.html?hp

Well, no. I don't expect UPS to ship my package for free. Then again, I'm not traveling with it. I am traveling with my luggage. Maybe I should use UPS and send my stuff ahead of me. It might look suspicious to the TSA, though. I wonder if I would be yanked out of line if I didn't have any baggage with me checked or otherwise?