Spirit Airlines introduced $30 fees for carry-on bags when the fee is paid online or over the phone and $45 at the gate [credit cards only please], becoming the first U.S.-based carrier to charge for carry-on bags.
Passengers are allowed to board a jet with a carry-on for free if it fits under the seat, but there is a long list of excluded items, including "food for the flight."
Other carry-on items excluded from under-seat stowing include umbrellas, cameras, infant diaper bags [no word on adult diaper bags], assistive devices, coats, wraps, hats, car seats, strollers and reading material.
The airline charges $25 for a first checked bag when the fee is paid online or over the phone and $45 when checked in at the gate.
Members of Spirit's $9 Fare Club pay reduced fees for carry-on and first checked bags, at $20 and $15 [for domestic flights], respectively.
The carry-on policy went into effect for reservations purchased starting yesterday for travel Aug. 1, 2010, and after.
The $10 reduction on checked bags for $9 Fare Clubs members is good on tickets purchased beginning July 1 for travel Aug. 1, 2010 and beyond.
Forrester Research senior travel analyst Henry Harteveldt feels that Spirit, known for its outrageous marketing forays, may have gone a little too far this time with its carry-on bag fees.
"To charge people to check bags and bring them on the plane could cross the line to provoke a bad reaction from consumers and could provoke bad reaction from Washington, D.C.,” Harteveldt says.
The airline, of course, characterizes the move differently, saying that it is "progressing to the next phase of unbundling..." with its carry-on bag fees and reduced bag fees for $9 Fare Club members.
In another move, Spirit unveiled Penny Plus Fares -- a penny fare plus taxes, fees and fuel -- on 1 million seats annually for members of its $9 Fare Club.
So, for example, a seat on an Atlanta-Myrtle Beach flight, if available, would cost $31.03, including the ticket, fuel, and taxes and fees.
While Harteveldt thinks the carry-on-bag fees are off-base, he welcomes Spirit's penny-fare initiative.
"One thing Spirit is doing right is the $9 Fare Club," Harteveldt says. "If you join the club, they are saying we’ll make a commitment to you to create special value. On that point I thnk it is terrific. They are being very creative.”
Here's Spirit's carry-on fee schedule: