Travelers who value cheap traveloptions, such as cheapairplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages willprobably be disappointed to learn that Spirit Airlines is considering tying thefees passengers pay to check a bag or select a more desirable seat on Spirit todemand.
On a full flight, for example, fees could end up being muchhigher. The only good news is that suchchanges will not impact this holiday season, if they happen at all.
Tying fees to demand would make the complex world ofairlines fees all the more confusing.
Such a change could benefit passengers flying during offpeak hours and days. Spirit has yet tosay how much its fees might change.
Currently Spirits bag fees vary in price depending on whenpassengers choose to pay: $30 for thefirst bag when purchasing a ticket online or prior to check-in, $35 starting 24hours before a flight at online check-in, or $45 at the airport.
Spirit charges between $25 to $100 for a carry-on bag thatmust be placed in an overhead bin, depending on when a customer pays this fee.
Spirit has found that during peak travel days theresometimes is not enough room for all checked bags. Given that other days, there is plenty ofexcess capacity, Spirit contends that the airline is not pricing its extraservices correctly.
Today Spirit is one of the few airlines that charge a feefor the privilege to select any seat in advance. It also charges for water and to have anagent print a boarding pass at the airport.
Spirit believes that more people might be induced to fly ifit charged lower prices for seat assignments on a slow day.
For the past three decades airlines have priced theirtickets in such a manner as to charge more for high demand periods, such as theSunday after Thanksgiving. UnitedAirlines and Delta Air Lines price select seats with extra legroom differentlybased on the demand for that flight. Todate no airline varies its luggage fees based on demand.
Spirit says that it will need time to implement any pricevariations based on demand in order to first update its technology and informpassengers.
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