Checked bags. Carry-on bags. The bathroom?
Where do airline fees end?
“The commercial airlines have reached a new low by attempting to charge passengers for the right to place their luggage in the overhead bins,” Flyers Rights President and Founder, Kate Hanni said in a news release. “It seems they will continue try and squeeze out every dollar they can from passengers, regardless of economic hardship, inconvenience or humiliation.”
Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which serves the Atlanta area, this week announced it will charge travelers for carry-on bags to be stored in overhead bins.
While a number of airlines have started charging customers to check bags or purchase snacks, Spirit appears to be the first to charge for carry-on items that passengers would place in overhead bins. Spirit, which said it is also lowering its fares, will not charge for so called “personal items” that fit under the seat in front of a passenger.
Meanwhile, another low-cost carrier, European-based Ryanair said it plans to start charging passengers to use the bathroom.
“The reason why the U.S. has become the ‘Land of the Fee’ when it comes to air travel is simple: fees are treated differently than other revenue in terms of the taxes they have to pay to fund the national aviation system,” Hanni said. “So not only do these latest gimmicks harm passengers, they are shortchanging all of us by skirting their responsibility to help maintain and upgrade our nation’s aviation infrastructure.”