We recently posted about El Al Airline doing the right thing and honoring low prices it accidentally offered to consumers. El Al should be applauded — especially because far too many other airlines consistently try to cheat customers. One of the worst is Spirit Airlines. As we have previously noted, Spirit charges customers up to $100 per carry-on bag and it even charges customers to print their tickets (if Spirit charged you to print your ticket, please contact us to discuss your legal options).
Unfortunately, many airlines are following Spirit’s model in a race to the bottom. These companies offer relatively low fares, and then increase their profits by making consumers pay exorbitant fees for baggage and other services that used to (and should) be free.
Delta Airlines now also charges up to $75 per carry-on bag, and American Airlines is not too far behind, with baggage fees of up to $70 per bag. In this anti-consumer environment, we commend companies like Frontier, Southwest and JetBlue that allow customers one free carry-on bag for flight.
As a result of the hidden fees, a flight with Spirit and other airlines that initially seems like a bargain might, after all of the hidden fees, end up costing more than a seemingly higher priced ticket on an airline like Southwest. You should be especially mindful to double-check all of the fees before booking air travel.