Update: The fee doesn’t go into effect until 08/01. Perhaps they are waiting to see if there will be a customer backlash before implementing the fee?
I believe that the reason for the delayed start is that they are giving themselves the time to reverse the fee if they see bookings noticeably drop. Now it’s just up to passengers to boycott Spirit. If the fee is successful I have no doubt that it will find it’s way over to other airlines as well.
Related: www.dansdeals.com/baggage
Exactly as I predicted here over 3 years ago in an article entitled “Is “A La Carte” Airline Pricing Inevitable?” Spirit Airlines will now charge for carry-on luggage.
Spirit started the entire vicious cycle by limiting free luggage to just one bag before eliminating it completely. Now they are charging $30 per bag each way for carry-on luggage if you prepay for it and $45 at the gate.
People scoffed when I suggested that other airlines would copy their lead on checked luggage. Now the only question is which airline will be first to copy their lead this time…it may not happen very soon but it will happen unless they are forced to back down due to customer backlash.
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8 Comments On "The Pioneer Of Checked Baggage Fees Is Now Launching A Carry-On Bag Fee…"
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I have tickets booked already with them will they still be able to charge me? Or is this only for new reservations?
@itch:
It’s only for new reservations.
Should be MEANSpirit airlines!! Those fees are outrageous!
it starts from Aug 1
Also its not $45 but $20 if instead of taking it on the plane you check it in
Seems Spirit is looking to get the plane loaded and out ASAP and hopes this way less people will take the larger carry-ons and check them instead
Unfortunately I think they will see the # of checked bags going up and less carry-ons being taken aboard = the other Carriers will climb aboard and Hopefully will grant exceptions to their top Elites as they do now with checked bags
just read todays USA Today while waiting for my flight, I posted what I ddi based on what the TV was saying’
Seems the fee will apply to any tkt purchased from Tues onward and also for a flight from Aug 1st onward
The $45 will be charged at the Gate, it will be $20-30 if paid for before getting to the gate. I assume $20 online and $30 at the tkt counter
So I gues it has nothing to do with getting people to actually check their bags, but just anyway to grab some more $$$
I dont fly Spirit but its still possible that even paying for the bags that Spirit if they lower their fares enough will still be cheaper then the others. Only now before deciding which carrier to fly a person will hav eto add up all the fees to see if in fact Spirit will be the cheapest. Sort of what people have to doo with Ryan Air over in Europe
Its cheaper to send your packages ahead of time via UPS or Fedex!!!
As a member of the $9-dollar-fare club and a FreeSpirit MC holder with over 90k SpiritAir miles (most of them BIS, a lot in Spirit terms…) I can say that the changes in the past few months were all for my benefit…
The cheap awards for off-peak (or even standard) are way cheaper than regular carriers.
The recent change also brings forth a discount for people like me, now the first and second bag are $15 each. The carry-on is $20. So a total of $50 dollars which is equal (more-or-less) to other carriers.
Seems like you don’t have to worry about the other airlines following suit…..
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hw_TinmJ5wGpkYIjA5mOT9bp7oqgD9F5HIQG3