Spirt carry-on fee up to $100

effective 11/6/2012

Carry-On Bag
- $25 ($9 Fare Club member, online purchase, at booking/before check-in)
- $30 ($9 Fare Club member, online purchase, during online check-in)
- $35 (group booking, group desk purchase, more than 24 hours before flight departs)
- $35 (online purchase, at booking/before check-in)
- $40 (online purchase, during online check-in)
- $40 (group booking, group desk purchase, within 24 hours of flight departure)
- $40 (reservation center purchase)
- $50 (airport counter/kiosk purchase)
- $100 (airport gate purchase)

 

They must really have people in smaller markets by the short hairs. Because if they didn't have a captive audience, they would be dead in the water by now.

 

When we went to Las Vegas for the 2009/2010 New Years Eve we were flying just a few days after that "Underwear Bomber" incident and at the time they were banning all carry on luggage for flights going in to the USA.

I have to say after that experience I kind of wish airlines would just ban carry on luggage or put in a restriction like one little bag each or something: when our jet landed in Las Vegas we were second row from the back and it only took a little over a minute for us to get off the plane and in to the terminal - everybody just stood up and walked off, it was great.

On our last trip to Las Vegas going down we were in the front of the plane so we were in the last group to board. When we get to board my wife and I are one of the first of our group to get on and as we are walking down to our seats the first fifteen rows of the plane are mostly empty, but all the overhead compartments are full - the people in the back of the jet put their luggage in the front compartments to make it easier for them to just grab on their way out... meaning the people in the front have to go against the flow of people when we land so they can towards the back and get their luggage because there is no room up front.

Yeah, I have to say it again: I'd really love a no carry on policy or anything that restricts people from taking carry on luggage.

 

Ok, Spirit is not for everyone. I was not a fan until I did a little comparison shopping and saved over $100, all in: fees, taxes, baggage, a 12 oz can of Bloody Mary mix and 14 grams of peanuts. My basis for comparison was Southwest, American and USelessAirways. I recently booked another fare and saved at least $150 RT compared to the legacy carriers and Southwest.

This recent increase in baggage fees amounts to $4 on a round trip flight as I pay for my checked bag when I book my flight. It appears that Spirit is trying to incent its customers to pay for checked luggage at the time of booking with these fee increases.

I probably wouldn't want to book a long flight since the seat cushions seem thinner and they don't recline. That said, I may have an opportunity to travel to Costa Rica next winter and the round trip fare from Atlantic City is less than $400 with baggage. I will bring my own peanuts.

Spirit also has frequent sales and if your travel schedule is flexible, you can score some great deals.

 

Well, my ex boss once told me we all have choices, which is a nice way to say if you don't like it, hit the road.

Take a look at their route map, Spirit doesn't have anyone by the short hairs or a captive market. They are an ultra low cost airline and compete by offering low fares. Spirit plans on almost doubling their fleet in 5 years. My only concern is that Spirit's success will have others copying their business model and it will become a race to the bottom.

 

And thats pretty much the key there: if a flight on airline X is $200 with a $25 baggage fee and the same flight on airline Y is $275 but they have no baggage fee... even if you are adamantly opposed to baggage fees you'd have to be a sucker to choose airline Y over airline X.

One could take a self righteous stance and say "I'm standing up against baggage fees... by paying $50 more for the same flight!" but they'd just look like a chump or too stupid to realize they are paying $50 more for the same thing by being "right".

 

Or, you can shove the damn bag under your seat!

Honestly though, spirit just came to my town(mpls), I would never fly them right now, I wouldn't want to encourage what they're doing.

 

The last time that we flew Spirit, they had specific dimensions of what size carry-on would be allowed free "under the seat" ... something like 12 x 16 ... and we both took small duffle bags.
You would not get away with trying to board with a 20" carry-on ... They eye-ball you & your bag pretty closely, and see if you paid the luggage fee.

 

This is the same exact thing as with the "resort fees." (And that then means that this thread can anticipate a moderator lock-down at some time. ) Most consumer decisions come with options, and if there are no options the "option" is not to consume, but that's not really germane when the topic is something like wanting or having to go somewhere. So we'll go with consumption.

Let me get something out in the open for those who have trouble reading: I am NOT condoning NOR supporting such fees. I think they are CHICKENSHIT.

Martin Luther King would take the good stand. I look for lowest overall cost, all else equal. If the option is go/no go, I assess the necessity of the go and will also assess other destination options if we're talking vacay.

 

The very philosophy that led to the above policy. Its the people trying to do this to dodge the fee with a bag thats too big, than then Spirit get delays/hassle getting processed when they have to tell them at boarding its a carry on they must pay for. So now they charge those people more.

Likewise, before they had the carry-on fee, everyone took everything carry on to avoid the checked bag fee, which also made boarding chaos.

You don't have to like the policy, but the bottom line is price, and they are often cheaper even with all the fees.

Myself I am more annoyed at their website getting worse, and their planes being sardine cans, than I am over their baggage fees.

 

Spirit's a big hit in So. Jersey AC area

Mostly because the AC airport is so easy to get to and from and there are a lot of flights to Florida destinations out of here.
A lot of retirees here have places in Florida also where they winter over ,so its convenient for them .esp. if they have to come up and back for a few days. A lot belong to that $9 fare club and some fly just with the clothes on their back and the purse or small bag that fits under the seat because they have two sets of clothes.I really dont like them either,but they are expanding all over from what I read.

 

I took a first-bag-free flight recently. For me, that means my clubs. When you think about it -- weight/fuel/space -- that plane likely carried MORE of my stuff than if they'd just let me check two, given that I'm going to get right up to the 50# mark with my Club Glove since it is free, and I have two things going in the plane now, taking up space.

 

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Can I get an "AMEN" to that! I don't make the rules, but I do my best to work within them to get the most for the least (cost). I don't like fees, yes they are total chicken shit. My Dad had an expression about a store or business that charged extra for things that had previously been included, he said they were "nickel nuts".

Paying for baggage, much like resort fees, makes it more difficult to comparison shop. This means that you may actually have to take out a pencil and paper and write down prices among several airlines, or make a spread sheet.

I pretty much know upfront at the time of booking a flight if I will be taking luggage with me. If I am comparing Spirit, American, and Southwest, I just add $36 to the round trip airfare to cover the cost of checking one bag. I am in the $9 fare club (which costs me $60 a year) and it costs less to check a bag than carry on. I am permitted to bring my laptop bag or a backpack. Everyone on my itinerary can also get the reduced baggage rates as well and I have already saved $80 in baggage fees on two flights. When I look at American Airlines, I will probably try and jam everything into a carry on so as to avoid the $50 per round trip charge for checking a bag. When I look at Southwest, bags fly free.

I haven't had a beer on a plane since I flew PanAm to Seattle around 1986 when they had a deal that all "full fare" coach tickets were upgraded to first class. I can buy a six pack for what they charge me for a single at 30,000 feet. I can buy a snack and carry it onboard.

When all is said and done, if I can save at least $100 by using Spirit, I will probably go with them, but we all have choices.

I skimmed over Spirit Airlines 10-k report where its business model was explained and I have to admit that these guys are all about efficiency and removing cost out of the system. Carry on luggage takes extra time to board and de-plane, time is money, give customers a reason and incentive to check bags and not carry on.

Ken, your beloved sticks weigh 50 Lbs. and it takes more fuel to keep these aloft, but why should my airfare support your game? When I was rich and single, I skied out in Lake Tahoe a few times and brought all my gear. Today it would probably cost an extra $100 or more to get me to the top at Heavenly. The same goes for those Housewives of Jersey/Atlanta/Orange County who bring 5 bags for a weekend.

Which restaurant went a la carte the first time? I love Ruth's Chris', but a salad, veggie, and potato add $25 to a $40 steak. Spirit is doing the same thing by charging for the things you want.

 

Call me a sucker then for paying more to fly elsewhere. When Spirit shows up on a search, I have the search engine remove it. I don't have time to try to go through this if x, then y fee crap. Unless they are running a sale, the base fare for their flights are even cheaper. At least with other airlines or with resort fees, it's pretty easy to find the info you need to determine the cost. And for all the people defending the Spirits and Allegiants of the world, I never hear enough positive feedback about the flight experience to justify their practices.

 

I don't think I made my point. I'm allowed 50 lbs./bag, as with everyone. Now if I have two bags, why does it matter where they go, under or in? It actually makes things a bit less enjoyable for everyone the more crap we all take in. (BTW, should we base fares on body weight?)

Now if someone only gives me a single free bag, I'm likely to make my sub-30 lb. golf luggage weigh more by maximizing its use, but I'll still have a carry on and my one "personal" bag, too.

 

It might be more economical (and less of a hassle) to Fedex your bags, even ground.

 

I don't mind waiting around a few minutes for my clubs to show up, and on many of my routes/destinations I'm on SWA, or airlines where I get some love -- Alaska/Horizon and JetBlue -- so checking's not a problem. I've never priced it internationally or to the islands, but even domestically there's still never been a $$$ upside to doing that. Again, for those who don't want to wait for luggage to hit the carousel I can see doing it.

 

Carry on Bags under the seat - FREE

Carry on Bags in overhead paid in advance - $25-$35

Sadly, most people only read, see, remember the $100 fee.

 

50# bag of clubs is well over $100 on Fedex.

 

I just looked up a rate for 50# golf clubs in Fedex's Golf Box.

Ground shipping from Green Bay to Las Vegas is just over $50, that includes $1000 "declared value."