Travelers looking for cheap fares, be they cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages, need to be even more careful than even in deciding whether to fly on Spirit Airlines. This airline has announced that travelers who pay for checked or carry-on bags within 24 hours of departure will have to pay even more for the privilege.
Passengers paying for luggage online will have to pay an additional $5 and $10 more for travelers who pay over the phone.
Spirit unquestionably offers very low priced base airfares. The trick for passengers who choose to fly on this airline is to maneuver around all of the minefields that have been placed to add substantial fees after tickets have been purchased.
Spirit now refers to its previous bag fees as an Early Bird Discount and observed With this updated policy, fees remain the same for customers who pre-purchase their bags at least 24 hours in advance via spirit.com or through reservations.
Spirit further contends We are continuing to pass savings along to our customers who choose self-service options vs. waiting until they get to the airport to conduct their transactions.
Passengers who pay for carry-on bags at least 24 hours prior to departure time and are not members of Spirits fare club pay $30 for a carry-on that will not fit under a seat. Spirit became the only U.S. airline to charge for carry-on bags when it implemented its new fees in April 2010.
Passengers who wait to pay for carry-on bags at the airport must pay $40 at the airport check-in counter or kiosk or $45 at the gate.
In keeping up with its well deserved reputation for being THE leader in initiating new fees, Spirit has also reduced the allowable weight for bags from 50 pounds to 40 pounds. Other U.S. airlines continue to only charge overweight fees for bags weighing in excess of 50 pounds.
Bags handled by Spirit weighing between 41 to 50 pounds will cost $25 more per bag in addition to the cost of checking the bags. Checked bag fees start at $28 for the first bag checked online or by phone so long as the check-in is a minimum of 24 hours in advance.
Bags weighing over 50 pounds will incur $50 to $100 in overweight Spirit baggage fees. Spirit claims that its new luggage weight limits are similar to international airlines in Europe and Asia. www.cheapfares.com