Agreed. And this even extends to airline without any baggage fees whatsoever. We flew WN last weekend (OAK-SLC-OAK). I was amazed by the things people carried on that were clearly in excess of the size allowed. To be fair, there did seem to be adequate bin space, but folks were hefting and stuffing throughout.

Cheers.

Amazing thread - TONS of speculation, probably needless, and never addresses the issue of WHY would anyone fly mean Spirit anyway?

Check this interview with the Secretary of DOT link.

It begins with

Q. Spirit Airlines announced earlier this week that it would start charging passengers for carry-on bags this summer. It has also lowered some fares to one cent. I think it’s possible customers will think they’re booking a penny fare, only to discover that everything else is extra after they’ve made a purchase decision. Do you think that’s the way they ought to be doing it?

A. Absolutely not.

and

Q. Do you think Spirit crossed the line?

A. I don’t think they care about their customers. That’s what I think. And I think when you charge somebody to use the bathroom, you don’t care about your customers. I mean, it’s pretty clear.


Lemmings in fact do not jump off of cliffs - but airlines do, at least figuratively, and I hope AA doesn't follow this FR (Ryanair) model.

Charging one to use the lav wont happen in the US, because if the airlines do that it will open them up to possible ADA action, that or passengers will soil the cabin which will result in the plane being taken out of service. $1 vs who knows how much to clean/decontaminate/new seats in a cabin.

While I would not fly Spirit, I disagree with LaHood. The airline is telling you up front what the fees are. Its a free market, don't like them, don't fly them. Let the market make the decision. Now for the infrequent FF, if the fare is low enough maybe its makes economic sense even if one has to pay the bag fee.

And I cannot imagine in any scenario where a US based airline, even Spirit, would begin to charge for using the lav.

Interestingly, the cheapest fare on Spirit leaving Saturday 7/17 and returning Tuesday 7/20 from LGA to FLL was $165++. By no means is was a bargain basement fare (since the new bag fees go into effect after 7/1 the fees would not apply here). I get the feeling that Spirit is attempting to rebrand itself as the "true king of low fares" in which infrequent FFs believe that but do not realize that there may be cheaper alternatives (and be able to carry on a bag for free).

Absolutely. I've been finding the boarding process so inefficient lately that the Spirit move seems oddly logical. AA's checked baggage fee makes the balance sheet look better in the short term, but I recently flew Qantas and BA again domestically and the amount of time it takes to get a plane ready to push back in the US is interminable by comparison. Every minute an aircraft is on the ground is time it's hemorrhaging cash. If you could speed up turnaround times by 10 minutes, across thousands of flights a day, you could squeeze in more high-revenue flights.

I say: abolish the checked bag fee on the first bag, pre-sell special colored tags for any large rolling bag you want to bring on board, and as you board, the gate agent either tears the tag off or, if your bag doesn't have one, he/she sets your bag aside to where the valet will gate-check it for free.

If you don't want it to be gate-checked and you haven't bought a tag then you may step aside and wait until the entire aircraft has boarded, after which the gate agent sells you a tag so you don't have to be separated from your precious cr*p for an instant. The threat of being the last to board may be enough to encourage most people to either buy a tag in advance or shut up and be happy with a free gate-check.

Then there's less aggravation as we board, fewer hassles, fewer delays, fewer fees, the airline squeezes in a few more flights and kittens get cuddled by angels all year round.

Two FA's in First last night on my flight from LGA - MIA commented on how small my carry-on computer bag was and told me to expect AA to follow suit with charging for carryon like Spirit.

I'm sure their comment was just as speculative as the talk on FT but still thought I would share.

Indeed, that's a huge difference between now and when I began frequent flying on business in the early 1980s. In those days, aircraft were full only on holiday weekends, Monday mornings, and Friday afternoons. Consequently it didn't long to enplane or deplane most flights. Even though the overhead bins were smaller, there was always enough room for carry-on's. Seat width was rarely an issue because middle seats were rarely occupied.

Every once is awhile I run into people who fly Spirit. They tend to be leisure fliers or working for a small company that make airline choice on price exclusively. Not that I plan to try, but so far their experiences don't seem to flying back of the bus on the legacies.

As some one who travels domestically in both Australia on QF (no checked baggage fees) and AA (checked baggage fees) the boarding experience with QF is A LOT more pleasant and efficient! IMHO what AA needs to do is SIMPLE: Enforce the existing carry on rules (or repeal some of the checked baggage charges) People are just trying to save money by not checking on AA and I wonder how much money AA looses from missing take off slots due to delayed departures...

unbundling works against some corporate customers... if you are traveling for work and your TA asks what airline you want you will pick the one with the least hassle (recipts, re-imbursement etc...)

Correct. That sounds more like groundless speculation or even a joke than any inside information.

Nothing I've seen in this thread or elsewhere convinces me that AA will go down that road.

I sure hope they do: last week one of my flights was delayed because there were paramedics on board to attend a person who was hit in the head/face by falling luggage from an overhead bin.

If AA insists on going down the fee-for-everything way (which I do not support), then an excessive carry-on fee is more than welcome to make the boarding experience pleasant and safe once again.

One example: earlier today, I was chatting with my next-door neighbor and his house guest, who is from Atlantic City. The friend is flying Spirit, who flies non-stop between FLL and ACY. I asked her what she thought of Spirit, and she said that they "weren't the best", but that she was willing to put up with them for the ability to fly direct from ACY, rather than having to drive to and from PHL or EWR.

I do not think AA will charge for carry-on items. But I do think AA will charge more if AA agent find a carry-on is over sized or obviously over weight which need to be Gate Checked in.