If you’re like most Americans and believe Airline “extra” fees have gotten out of hand, fasten your seat belts for this latest news!
As if checked baggage fees as high as $75. wasn’t enough, SPIRIT AIRLINES has announced it will begin charging for carry-on bags starting August 1st. Airlines have virtually cut food service from the economy cabin and have been “nickle-and-diming” customers by charging them for everything from checked bags, to blankets and even water on some flights. Now that customers are finding creative ways to circumvent checked baggage fees by traveling lighter and with only carry-on baggage, SPIRIT wants a piece of that cash cow pie and will attempt to make a buck wherever it can.
SPIRIT says it will charge customers $20 to $45 for items they place in the overhead bins. The cost will depend on if the passenger is a member of the airline’s ultra-low fare club or if they “pre-reserved” their carry-on bag in advance. Passengers will still be allowed to bring one personal item that fits under a seat for free, such as a purse, briefcase, backpack or laptop computer, and won’t have to pay extra for items such as diaper bags, pet containers and cameras. The airline is calling it a “Bring Less; Pay Less” policy, claiming it will ultimately benefit customers. “In addition to lowering fares even further, this will reduce the number of carry-on bags, which will improve inflight safety and efficiency by speeding up the boarding and deplaning process,” Chief Operating Officer Ken McKenzie said in a statement.
But George Hobica, President of Airfarewatchdog.com doesn’t agree. “When will more shoes drop?” he asked. “When will we finally see a U.S. airline dare to charge for using a credit or debit card, and who will be the first to eliminate airport check-in counter staff, forcing passengers to show up at the airport with a pre-printed boarding pass and pre-paid luggage fees? … No human interaction necessary.” Another expert said Spirit’s move may be too much for fliers who are already enraged by fees. “It’s interesting that the program will not kick in until August, perhaps giving Spirit time to cut the program if there’s significant backlash from customers,” said Jami Counter, senior director of TripAdvisor Flights. “I do think this is a step too far for the traveling public, and other carriers won’t follow Spirit’s lead on this.”
Most major air carriers started adding checked-bag fees in 2008, making what seemed like a $200. flight end up actually costing around $75 to $200 more. The airlines reported collecting nearly $740 million in baggage fees in the third quarter of 2009, according to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
