23
Jul
2008
Consumer victory: Spirit reverses its “web convenience fee”
Posted by: Mark Ashley

v-for-victory.jpgAir travelers have been taking a number of hits lately, but one of the most egregious was Spirit’s recent “web convenience fee,” whereby they charged an extra $10 for booking a roundtrip ticket online.

“Was”? Yes, “was.” They killed it. Sean O’Neill of Budget Travel pinged me to let me know that the newly updated Spirit contract of carriage no longer includes the fee. He posted about it earlier today.

And sure enough, the fee is gone. I walked through their site as if buying a ticket, and poof! It’s disappeared. Thank goodness. Let’s hope it doesn’t rise from the dead again.

Now, do those who paid the web convenience fee over the last week get their money back?… Don’t hold your breath.

Categorized in: Spirit Airlines
3 Comments

3 Responses to “Consumer victory: Spirit reverses its “web convenience fee””

  1. Artie Says:
    July 24th, 2008 at 7:41 am

    If I am not mistaken, doesn’t Allegiant also charge a web convenience fee? I remember having to pay $7.50 or something like that, per way, for their “convenience” fee to book online.

    I think you should also push them to drop that fee…because while there was ZERO chance I would ever fly Spirit, I do enjoy taking Allegiant to Vegas every now and again from my small town!

  2. Seth Says:
    July 25th, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    Allegiant’s web site indicates that they will charge for an online booking:

    A convenience fee of $11.50 per traveling customer will be applied when booked on allegiantair.com or through an Allegiant Air call center. Travel purchased through Allegiant Air call centers will cost an additional $10.00 per segment.

    and also

    For the convenience of using any of Allegiant Air’s booking services (inclusive of call center) there is a fee of $11.50 per traveling customer. Purchases made at any of Allegiant Air’s Airport Ticket Offices will not incur a Convenience Fee of $11.50 per customer. All fares are subject to change until confirmed and purchased.

    They do allow for no-fee booking at the airports, so I guess that gets them past the FTC, though the online booking fee can’t be seen as anything more than a cash grab from any reasonable point of view.

    Just another reason to not fly those carriers…

  3. Upgrades and Downgrades — Pigeon carriers, Million mile movie, fees, tantrums, and much more | Upgrade: Travel Better Says:
    March 5th, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    [...] website. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is: The airline tried this last summer, but retracted it within a few days. In the WSJ, Scott McCartney has this summary: Spirit tried charging a $7.90 [...]

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