Carry-on Fees for Spirit

Today, Spirit Airlines became the first airline to charge a fee ($30 - $45) for carry-on luggage. Although five airlines (American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways; United Airlines and US Air Airways) have pledged to never charge carry-on fees, it's difficult to criticize Spirit Airlines. In America, Spirit Airlines is one of only a few "discount" airlines. Although fees at the gate may seem steep, the ticket price tends to be significantly cheaper than others.

When airlines began to charge for checked luggage, I watched an interview in which a Delta executive said that the fees would force travelers to pack lighter and bring fewer bags. He concluded that this would eventually result in a happier traveler (since he/she would have fewer things to worry about). This may be true, but for many, these checked bag fees only forced people to find more room in their carry-on luggage. To me, these fees by Spirit Airlines seem much for logical. With fewer (or smaller) carry-on bags, maybe the lines through security will speed up.