Airline fees keep coming

Posted 23/06/2011

Florida-based Spirit Airlines announced it will charge a US$5 fee for passengers who ask an agent to print their boarding pass at the airport.

But travelers can bypass the fee by checking in online and printing their own boarding pass or by checking in at an airport kiosk.

The new policy applies to all domestic and international flights booked on or after Tuesday for travel on November 1, 2011, and beyond.

At the same time, Spirit says it is lowering fares on all nonstop flights by $5 each way.

The move makes spirit the first US carrier to charge a boarding pass fee.

In Europe, Irish-based low-cost airline Ryanair has a similar, though more expensive, policy.

Why did Spirit do it in the face of continuing complaints?

Spirit is just listening to its customers, it said. In a survey, most fliers told the carrier that they preferred lower fares in exchange for checking in online.

"We want to give [passengers] the ability to choose the extras they want without forcing them to pay for add-ons they don't want or need," Ben Baldanza, the president and CEO of Spirit, said in a statement.

By David Wilkening

Originally published 23 Jun 2011 at: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/398/f/5923/s/161af326/l/0L0Stravelmole0N0Cstories0C11482140Bphp0Dmpnlog0F1/story01.htm