Entries for the Tag:Carry On Baggage
Commercial Airline Lowers the Bar, Again
Charging fees for carry-on baggage newest revenue scheme
Spirit Airlines, one of the first airlines to charge for checked baggage has again shifted the paradigm with a new policy that charges passengers for carry-on baggage. Spirit calls itself an ultra-low cost airline, but this move screams of desperation and ultra-low class. Spirit states that fliers are carrying more bags aboard and cramming more into those bags in an attempt to sidestep checked baggage fees. The result of which is delayed boarding and departure times, jammed overhead storage areas, and short tempers. Spirit hopes that the carry-on baggage fees will limit the amount of overhead baggage and reduce boarding time leading to better on-time performance, addressing a problem of their own creation, ironically, when checked baggage fees appeared. Spirit’s Chief Operating Officer Ken McKenzie offered this limp explanation: “In addition to lowering fares even further, this will reduce the number of carry-on bags, which will improve inflight safety and efficiency by speeding up the boarding and deplaning process, all of which ultimately improve the overall customer experience. Bring less; pay less. It’s simple.”
In other words, Spirit is now charging you an extra fee to leave on time.