Gadling readers have spoken – Spirit Airlines carry-on bag fee is a bad idea

by Scott Carmichael on

Several days ago, we asked you for your opinion on the Spirit Airlines carry-on bag fee. As a quick refresher – the airline is planning to charge up to $45 for each carry-on bag that does not fit under the seat in front of you. This is in addition to their checked bag fee.

The whole plan has triggered a lot of responses, from both sides. Some people are (justifiably) annoyed that airlines don’t pay much attention to oversized bags from passengers that take up too much space. Others (correctly) point out that when airlines started to charge for checked bags, passengers had no choice but to carry stuff on board.

Still, nothing makes a point better than some cold hard numbers in the form of a survey – a whopping 5,425 of you took the time to respond (thanks!). The results are pretty clear – 93.2% are against the fee and a mere 6.8% think it is smart.

Of course, 5,425 Gadling readers won’t be enough to convince Spirit Airlines that they making a stupid mistake, but if enough passengers do indeed decide to fly someone else, the message will eventually get through to them.

Senator duo working to ban Spirit Airlines carry-on bag fees

by Scott Carmichael on


The clip of Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza reporting from an overhead luggage bin suddenly makes sense – his plan to introduce carry-on bag fees has reached two senators, who are outraged over the proposal. So outraged in fact, that they are drafting legislation that will prohibit airlines from charging for bringing bags on board.

Senators Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) have created the Cardin-Landrieu Free of Fees for Carry-On Act. The bill covers the following:

  • Prohibits each air carrier operating in the United States from charging any fees for carry-on baggage that falls within the restrictions imposed by the air carrier with respect to the weight, size, or number of bags;
  • Requires each such air carrier to make detailed information about restrictions with respect to the weight, size, and number of carry-on baggage available to passengers before they arrive at the airport for a scheduled departure on the air carrier;
  • Requires each such air carrier to make available to the public and to the Secretary a list of all passenger fees and charges (other than airfare) that may be imposed by the air carrier.

Kudos to these senators for working on behalf of travelers. Of course, the bill is still in such an early stage that it is hard to determine how much support it will get.

BREAKING: Spirit Airlines to charge up to $45 fee for carry-on bags

by Grant Martin on

There’s big news in the airline industry today, as Spirit Airlines announced the addition of carry-on baggage fees to their already healthy roster of post-ticketing charges.

For those paying online, each carry on bag will cost an additional $30 unless you’re in Spirit’s subscription-based $9 Fare Club. Those lucky members will only be charged $20 per bag. If paying for the service in-person at the airport, the fee jumps to $45 per bag. Personal items such as purses or briefcases will continue to be free as long as they fit underneath the seat.

Although Spirit Airlines is the first carrier to initiate such a fee, there’s broad speculation among the travel community on whether it will be picked up by other carriers — checked baggage fees, paid snacks and seat selection, after all, have all been nearly universally adopted over the last three years. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of free carry-on luggage industry wide.

On the bright side, however, there should be plenty more overhead bin space after August 1.

New baggage fees will go into effect on August 1st. You can check out more details and see whether your bag qualifies as a “carry-on” or a “personal item” over at spiritair.com.%Gallery-76818%

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Spirit Airlines credit card comes with three free roundtrip tickets

by Scott Carmichael on

We don’t always cover frequent flier promotions or airline credit card bonus perks – but when we run into generous ones, we’ll always try to share the news.

The newest promo from Spirit Airlines rewards you with three free roundtrip tickets, just for signing up and making one purchase on their card.

Of course, the promotion isn’t as impressive as the recent 100,000 mile bonus British Airways handed out to people who applied for their credit card, but in this economy, snagging free airline tickets can be a pretty rewarding hobby.

The “Free Spirit” credit card also offers priority boarding, priority check-in, first year free, additional bonus miles for balance transfers and a free fare club membership.

To apply for the Free Spirit card, click here and click here for an overview of all award ticket destinations. The free tickets are based on off-peak availability, so please do keep an eye on the fineprint for any other “gotchas” – which is of course applicable to anything an airline offers you.

Spirit Airlines receives record fine for mistreating passengers

by Scott Carmichael on

A quick search for past posts about Spirit Airlines here on Gadling shows not much more than negative news.

Sadly for Spirit, today’s news is no different. The low cost carrier was handed a $375,000 fine by the Department of Transportation for the way it treats its passengers.

The fine is a record, but the violations also appear to be pretty nasty. They include:

  • False fare advertising
  • Failure to provide compensation on oversold flights
  • Failure to provide baggage compensation claims in a reasonable time frame
  • Failure to accept liability for missing baggage items
  • Failure to retain copies of customer complaints
  • Failure to file customer complaint reports

Spirit Airlines blames their “growing pains” for all these issues, and insists that they are a thing of the past. Of course, when you are selling $9 tickets, you are bound to have cut some corners here and there.

As the lowest cost carriers move towards the “service not included” methodology, customers are always going to find something worth complaining about. Whether or not the issues are indeed a thing of the past remains to be seen, and I’m sure the DOT will be keeping a close eye on their operations.

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