A fee simply for buying something? Outrageous!!

[Harry Monroe]

Spirit airlines to launch fee for simply buying a ticket
Tue Mar 3, 2009 4:42PM EST

Airlines have nickel-and-dimed their way through what feels like dozens of fees over the last few years. Fees for meals. Fees for water. Fuel surcharges. Fees for paper tickets. Fees for blankets and pillows. And of course a fee for each bag you'd like to take with you.

Now comes the very pinnacle, the mother of all airline fees: An extra fee for buying a ticket.

You can thank Spirit Airlines, a cheapie outfit which seems to spend more time coming up with new fees it can levy than it does flying planes, for this one. The U.S. Department of Transportation, which has oversight over what airlines can and can't charge by way of add-on fees, has approved Spirit's introduction of a "passenger usage fee," which will be levied against all ticket buyers unless they are standing in person at a Spirit airport ticket counter. The Wall Street Journal has the sordid details.

The fee -- up to $10 a ticket (though I've seen $4.90 quoted elsewhere) -- is ostensibly designed to "cover reservation-booking costs." But the real reason should be obvious to anyone who's flown recently: It gives Spirit a way to raise prices without having to tell you about it in advance. That's because reservation systems don't disclose most fees when you're shopping for a flight, and very few customers delve into the fine print on the airline's website to find out that their $250 flight is really $320 (each way, natch) after all the fees are tallied.

Spirit hasn't announced when it will start charging the fee, but it's likely to be soon. The company tried launching a series of similar fees last year but the DOT put a stop to them, fining Spirit $40,000 as well. The DOT didn't have a problem, however, with Spirit's "seat assignment fee," wherein you pay $5 extra to reserve a middle seat and $12 for a window or an aisle. The Wall Street Journal piece linked above has an excruciating rundown of many of the other shady practices at Spirit, along with the frustration that many travelers are experiencing there.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/127531

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. And when customers respond by flying with someone else, or by driving or taking the train...

The airlines throw a tantrum and start demanding public subsidies "or else." :eyes:

[MADem]

2. Well, they'd better get the spirit, then!!!

I see a real opportunity for the people who sell tickets, though, with all these stupidass fees. The travel website that will be the most successful will be the one that specifies the FEES as well as the basic cost of the ticket.

Hell, the smart website would use that as a marketing tool--"You book a $199 flight with Company X, and you wind up paying $230! You book with us, and you pay $199--we tell what the hidden costs are BEFORE you buy!"

[Highway61]

3. Same with buying tickets

for concerts etc.... ie: Ticketmaster :wtf: Pisses me right off

[Kalyke]

7. Pissed Pearl Jam off, too.

IRC, I believe Pearl Jam went to the mat with Ticketmaster to offer their fans tickets with no fee.

[kentauros]

9. The only way I can see to getting around TicketMASTER and the rest of the

"legal" scalpers, is to make all tickets only available at the box office the night of the event. Keep the prices reasonable and you'll sell out every time and put the scalpers out of business. You'll also never have to be at a loss with tickets you can't sell prior to the event.

Why won't entertainers do it that way? I would actually go to some of these events if they would...

[frylock]

12. two-dollar surcharge for me to print out tickets on my own damn printer..

serious WTF!!?

[Harry Monroe]

4. I especially like this snippet of the article

"The DOT didn't have a problem, however, with Spirit's "seat assignment fee," wherein you pay $5 extra to reserve a middle seat and $12 for a window or an aisle"

Hey Spirit can I have a seat that is not middle, window or an aisle seat?? How much would they charge if you wanted to stand up the whole flight?

I guess if I ever have the misfortune to get stuck with flying with this "outfit", I'll sit in the aisle itself! How much does it cost to sit in the middle of the aisle or cram myself in the overhead bin?? At least I'd get first crack at the beverage cart!!:crazy: :shrug: :rofl:

[47of74]

5. I think it needs to be against the law to charge airline passengers to use the can

Because someone's already tried that crap once, and I'm surprised that some of our fly by night outfits here in the states haven't already tried it. It needs to be made illegal as soon as possible.

[LiberalFighter]

11. Especially if the plane is delayed due to weather or other reasons.

Will they waive the loo fee if passengers are forced to be on the plane waiting an hour or more for take-off?

[global1]

6. Outrageous? Don't We Have That Already - They Call It.......

SALES TAX. (sarcasm)

[FormerDittoHead]

8. The whole point of these things is to frustrate online ticket buyers.

Let's face it, the whole industry is screwy. I mean, some people can pay much more and much less for tickets on the SAME FLIGHT, given the time and the circumstances (how much the flight is booked). It's called yield management.

For people, the number one factor for buying a ticket is price, especially when the price for the same ticket can vary by hundreds of dollars. This has been made WORSE (for THEM) by the Pricelines and Travelocities.

So if you don't know the in's and out's of each company's fees for everything, you can end up paying more and.... that's what they WANT, right?

At this point, it's become institutionalized, however. Only if it meant driving over 8 hours would I fly anymore. That's the break-even point for me, and even then I'd think twice.

[seabeyond]

10. i wont fly NO MORE. i wont be treated as criminal and i wont give up

all my rights once i step into an airport.

so the machine that shows neekid body, the taking product that wont hurt anything, the wands, the cost....

nothing to do with me

yeehaw