Starting Aug. 1 Spirit will charge up to $45 each way for carry on items that have to be stored in the overhead bin. Purses and laptops are ok because they can slide underneath the seat.
Are you serious? It’s over between me and Spirit Airlines. I’ve taken Spirit Airlines quite a few times, and in fact, I have a free ticket coming from them because they were so late on a flight. Another time, they lost my luggage. If you pay for your carry on luggage online, it’s $30. If you pay for it at the airport, it’s $45. It’s not even like it’s a premiere airline and they are starting with this foolishness? Get over yourself, Spiritl
Guess who will not take Spirit anymore? I think they are no friend to frugalistas. Fee mongers!
What do you think about the fee? It’s absurd, to me. Yes, I said it.
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They’re also lowering the base fee for a ticket. The total cost for someone flying shouldn’t change much, but they’re encouraging people to check bigger bags rather than having a bunch of old ladies rolling their too-large luggage through the aisle and making the flight attendant slam it into the overhead when the passenger can’t lift it and it doesn’t really fit up there anyway.
I wasn’t a fan of the fee hikes of 2008 for check in luggage. My luggage fits in the overhead bin. Sometimes I don’t want to have my luggage prowled through by TSA. Spirit will come out richer, even with the reduced plane fare.
I see this got you a little steamed, Natalie. Of course it should. Suddenly your free ticket is costing you almost $100 – I’d be mad too. I don’t use Spirit (and now I never will) but this bothers me too because it could start catching on with other airlines. Like you my luggage usually fits in the overhead bin. I don’t mind TSA so much, but I don’t like buying two tickets if I am traveling alone, I don’t like waiting 20+ minutes until someone decides to start the baggage carousel, and if it’s sitting over my head it can’t get lost.
Fruglaista-I understand why you’re upset. But airlines keep adding these fees because you travelers refuse to pay the higher fares they want to sell. And since airlines are publicly owned companies that report to shareholders, they have to make money. And if they can’t get it from the fares, they’ll get it from the myriad fees that keep popping up. Fees for food/drinks. Fees for baggage. Fees to change/cancel tickets. Fees for pets. Fees for unaccompanied minors. Now, even fees for peak travel times. Spirit was the first airline to charge for checked bags, and I can still hear the howls of protest. But guess what? Now every airline except Southwest Air charges for checked bags. Wanna bet me how long it will take for airlines to follow Spirit on this one? Don’t hate the player – hate the game!