The impact of Spirit Airlines controversial carry-on fees on cheap fares, be they cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages, is in the eye of the beholder. Some travelers are incredulous that Spirit is charging between $30 to $45 for a carry-on bag. Spirit claims that this policy will reduce flight delays and potentially allow Spirit to add new flights, as well as reduce fares in some cases by more than the cost of a carry-on bag.
The new carry-on fees took effect on Sunday and according to Spirit the check-in process is going well so farIt looks like this is going to speed things up.
Some Spirit passengers are checking their bags because that is cheaper than paying for a carry-on bag.
Spirits CEO observed I think what well find is over the next weeks and months as this program evolves, and more and more people understand it, that people will see that the trade-off is a really good one. Not everyone will think that, and those people may choose to fly someone else, but theyll likely pay more for their total travel than they will on Spirit.
Spirits carry-on fee is the first in such fee in the airline industry and according to Spirit its intent is to discourage passengers from stuffing overhead bins because it frequently takes additional time to get bags secured and to gate check those bags that ultimately do not fit in the cabin.
$30 is the cost at its check-in desk to get a pass to carry-on a bag that will not fit under the seat. Spirit passengers are charged $45 if they wait until they get to the boarding gate to pay, which Spirit claims is an incentive that helps them save time.
Spirit says it does not profit directly from carry-on fees because ticket prices have been reduced to offset these fees. Instead Spirit hopes that by shaving 6 to 7 minutes off the time it takes to load and unload a plane that Spirit will be able to add more flights.
Five of Americas largest airlines, including American and Delta, have provided Congress with assurances that they will not start charging for carry-on bags. If Spirit is eventually able to add more flights as a result of its new carry-on charges and customer traffic is not negatively impacted, competing airlines resistance to this policy may change.
www.cheapfares.com