First time here? Check out the site's "greatest hits" or read a random post from the archives. Feel free to ask a question, and consider subscribing to the latest posts via RSS or e-mail. Thanks for visiting!

Reader Jeff writes in:

I’ve been told that there are no upgrade seats available for a flight I’ll be taking in a few weeks. But, I can see that the first class section is wide open.

The telephone agent (Continental Airline) said that I should keep calling as an upgrade seat might open up.

What’s the best strategy here? When is the best time to call to try to snag an unsold first class seat and get an upgrade using my miles?

Your frustration is understandable. You look at the seating chart, and there are unreserved seats, so you think you’re “in.” But no dice. Not so fast.

As you found out, empty seats on a chart don’t always correspond to seats available for upgrades. There are several reasons.

Empty seats on the chart doesn’t mean there are unsold seats. The airline may have already sold first class tickets, but not assigned seats yet.

More likely: Their inventory managers know the sales history for a particular flight, and similarly “know” that a last minute rush for first class tickets always magically appears on that flight. They could be holding back upgrades, hoping to sell those seats for cold, hard cash.

Or, sure, they might just be screwing with you.

The bottom line is this: There’s no magic bullet, and you’ll have to keep trying. Upgrades will open up when inventory managers throw in the towel on cash sales. Since you can’t book miles-based upgrades online with Continental, you just have to keep calling.

(image)

Reader Joe writes in:

I live in Ventura, California, and I was looking at a flight to Philadelphia. But the fares don’t make sense. It’s cheaper for me to fly from Santa Barbara to LAX to Philadelphia than it is to fly nonstop LAX-PHL. I don’t get it. It’s cheaper to connect at LAX??! I’m flying further, so why is it less? About $80 less, too. Why??

Ahh, airline economics. Use more of a resource, pay less! But believe it or not there’s sometimes a logic to it.

In fact, this is quite common. I recently faced a similar thing when buying a ticket. It was cheaper to fly from Greensboro to Charlotte, and onward to San Diego, that to fly nonstop from Charlotte to San Diego. Adding the Greensboro to Charlotte leg actually caused the price to drop about $70.

Two important things to remember:
1) Pairs matter. Distance doesn’t.
Fares won’t necessarily depend on the route you fly. Fares are based on city pairs — the departure and destination city.
2) Supply and Demand.
Supply and competition for a particular route will generally trump other economic factors like distance flown.

Airlines price flights based not only on the costs they incur, but also on the demand for the route and the amount of competition for the particular city pair. In your case, Joe, the LAX-Philadelphia route may have seen hefty sales already, selling out the cheaper seats on that route. But the Santa Barbara-Philadelphia city pair may have seen only light sales, so the cheap seats could still have been available.

And don’t forget fare sales: If a competitor is driving prices lower on the Santa Barbara-Philadelphia route, then prices are likely to drop. This is especially noticeable when a new, cheaper competitor starts service from a city. (The “Southwest Effect” is a common phrase to describe the effect of fares on a city when Southwest starts service in a market.)

[As a sidebar: Given the fact that you’ll have to change planes, thereby risking a misconnection and spending more time in airports, is it really worth saving a few bucks to increase your inconvenience? You might also be paying a nonstop premium, which could easily be worth it. I realize your question was about why the price difference exists, but the lower price may still be a bad value.]

Bottom line: If you’re trying to make sense of an airfare, ignore distance. Ignore where you’re changing planes. And ignore superficial logic. Focus on price for the explanation.

(image)

Reader J writes in, with the excellent subject line “Sidestepping government buffoonery”:

So I was wondering if you know if it’s possible to get a temporary PO box or a similar thing in order to mail your shampoo, cologne and other liquids to yourself at your destination city ahead of time to make sure you know it’s there before you even step on the plane. Are there such services?

Why yes!

You’ve got a few options, actually, and as long as you’re packing well and not mailing things that violate postal service regulations, then this could be a great way to avoid checked luggage, avoid the theatrics of the TSA war on moisture, and avoid having to buy stuff at your destination, all in one swoop!

There are essentially three options:

1. Your hotel
   Where you stayin’? Call the hotel, ask if they hold mail for guests, and what the restrictions are. In all likelihood, this will be the most convenient and most reliable way for you to receive packages. Tip: Be sure you include “hotel guest” after your name when you address the package.
2. Post office
   The magic words: “Poste restante,” or “general delivery.” Poste restante is an old fashioned mail-pickup service that most countries’ postal services still provide. Mail is addressed to a person, but in lieu of an address for delivery, the mail is sent to a post office branch, where you pick it up. You’ll usually address mail to Name, Poste Restante, the specific name of the post office (usually the main, central office), that branch’s street location, city, postal code, and country. Of course, you need to KNOW the location you’ll be picking it up from beforehand. Check the website of your destination’s postal service before you ship things off. FYI: The USPS’s sparse info page for general delivery is here.
3. American Express
   American Express cardmembers and travelers’ check holders can have mail sent to an American Express Travel Services office anywhere in the world. I took advantage of this once, and it worked great, but it’s been a while (1994). See here to find an office. Call them before sending them mail, and ask if they receive and hold Amex client mail. Not every office will do it.

In all of these cases, underline the addressee’s last name for good measure, or write it in all caps. It can’t hurt to put a statement like “Hold until (date)” on the front of the envelope or package, too.

There may be some restrictions, such as weight. Take New Zealand’s poste restante rules, for example: Packages under 2kg are stored at no charge. Over that weight, and you’ll pay a fee to pick up the goods. Be sure to check with your destination’s post office rules before you ship stuff off poste restante.

Locations holding your mail won’t hold it forever, either. 30 days in the norm, but it’s not universal. (In Mexico, for example, it might only be 10 days.) When in doubt, call ahead.

And even if you mail things to yourself at your destination, be sure you’re not mailing something you’d be upset to lose. Mail can be slow, or can disappear. If you care about the contents, insure.

So the bottom line: Yes, you CAN mail things ahead of time. But at the end of the day, which is the bigger hassle? Dealing with the TSA, or dealing with the post office?

Related:
- Update: TSA compresses 100ml to 3.0 fluid ounces
- Airport Security: TSA Re-Allows Lighters on Board; Non-Flammable Water Still a Threat to Safety
- Rescuing your prohibited carry-on items from the trash
- Japan and China introduce liquid-explosive detectors: Why can’t the US?
- American Express (aff)

(image)

Reader Anton asks:

How do you search for Premium Economy fares? Many airlines (trans-Atl, trans-Pac) have them but NONE of the travel sites/search engines allow you to look for them?!

You’re absolutely right, Anton: You’ll be hard-pressed to find a website that let’s you search for premium economy fares in a way that compares apples to apples.

“True” premium economy is typically a separate mini-cabin on long-haul international flights, and compared to regular economy, it usually offers some combination of wider seats, more legroom, more recline, and better food and drink. Better than coach, but not quite business class. As Dave Demerjian noted in his recent roundup of premium economy options in Business Traveler magazine, some airlines also let premium economy customers check in with the (shorter) business class lines at the airport.

Airlines that feature true premium economy include Air New Zealand, ANA, British Airways, EVA, JAL, SAS, Singapore (ultra long-haul flights like Newark to Singapore only), Thai, Virgin Atlantic. (Acronymic airline names apparently increase the likelihood of a premium economy cabin!)

While that list is not authoritative, there’s one glaring (and intentional) omission: United’s Economy Plus. Economy Plus, at the front of United’s cabin, only offers extra legroom, but none of the other features or services typically associated with premium economy.

Fares for true premium economy can vary widely, but they are rarely cheap, making a search engine for these fares especially desirable. When there’s a sale, fares might be a tiny smidge above regular economy, and thus a great deal. Or, they could run above full-fare economy rates, which is muscling into business class fare levels. At that point, you’re overpaying.

So far, there hasn’t been an aggregator or online travel agency that has created a tool that searches for premium economy fares. And travelers — and, I’d argue, airlines too — have lost out.
UPDATE: Reader Brian in comments notes that Expedia’s UK site does let you narrow your searches to premium economy. But you may run into trouble if you need to book a connection (in regular economy) to the long-haul flight in premium economy. But it’s a start!

So why is it so hard to find these fares? Each airline has a proprietary economy fare basis code for premium economy. And because that code is in the economy fare-class universe, search engines can’t parse it out from regular back-of-the-bus economy class tickets in fare searches.

So you’re left hunting and pecking, browsing over to each individual airline’s website and check the prices. Or doing the same thing by phone. Perhaps you could find a travel agent, too. But honestly, there’s got to be a way to solve this problem. FareCompare? Kayak? I’m looking at you guys!

Related:
- Demystifying premium economy
- Space by Space Basis (Business Traveler Magazine)

If you’re flying between the United States and Latin America or the Caribbean, you’d better pack light. Why? It’s December.

Huh??

This is a policy that airlines don’t really publicize, and it’s doubtful that many people get a call or e-mail about this before it’s too late. But every year, usually on December 1, airlines start putting strict limits on the amount of baggage you can check if you are traveling to the warmer climates of the Americas.

Why? Apparently, passengers traveling to and from these countries are packing so heavily, the planes can’t accomodate all that baggage, along with a planeload of passengers. So they slap on a limit, and adhere to it strictly.

In most cases, the holiday baggage rule states that passengers can check two bags, but no overweight bags or additional bags. Not even for an additional fee. If you arrive with overweight suitcases and want to check the bag, you’ll have to take something out and leave it behind. Ouch.

This latter point is what catches most people by surprise, usually at the last minute, at the airport. And then they’re pissed off.

It’s a widespread practice, with minor variations. December 1 to January 10 is a common range of dates for these more draconian rules, but it’s different at every airline. For example, it kicks off on November 15 at Delta. On United, it starts on the first Sunday in December each year.

But one thing is common: Unless you’re a seasoned veteran, traveling in this timeframe between these regions, you’re in for a surprise if you packed heavily.

Case in point: A comment left on a March 2007 post today in the Upgrade: Travel Better archives. Neal writes:

My seventy year old Father in-law is heading back to Jamaica today and was told that one of his bags was overweight. Not a problem right? He will simply pay the extra charge and continue on his way.

WRONG!!!

Unbeknownst to the consumer, beginning TODAY, December 1st (try to find this on their website luggage section), Spirit Airlines has suspended carrying ANY overweight luggage (51 lbs +) during the Holiday season.

So, this wheelchair ridden man is in the process of emptying his suitcase to rid the 18 pounds he is overweight AND waiting for my sister in-law to retrieve the items (they will not store or hold the items until someone can come to the airport). Whilst on the phone moments ago with the “Customer Service Representative” at the check-in counter, I said “Where is this written?” to which she replied, “Our policy is subject to change at anytime”.

Spirit Airlines gets WORSE and WORSE by the moment!!!

While Spirit Airlines is easy to flog for its litany of customer-unfriendly policies, this isn’t unique to them. And in fact, perhaps in response to angry calls and e-mails, Spirit has posted their holiday baggage rules at the top of their FAQ.

I’ve done a quick search and found the rules for Spirit, American, Delta, Continental, and United. For other airlines, search for “holiday baggage” or “excess baggage Latin America” on an airline’s site to find it.

(That search also yielded a page on Delta’s site explaining the process for checking a Christmas tree as luggage. I’m not kidding.)

But passengers shouldn’t have to go through this rigmarole. The restrictions should be readily explained to all passengers traveling in that time, and not buried deep on an airline’s website. Once again, the airlines have found a way to piss off the consumer and create bad will. Wonders never cease.

Pack light, folks.

(image)

Still not my idea of a good time

Reader EF dips into the blog archives and writes:

I disagree with your hatred of the Boeing 757 for international flights. It’s no different than flying from New York to LA, which I do in a 757 all the time. And you talk about the size of seats. I don’t see such a big difference between the seats on a 757 or a 747. What’s the big deal? What do you hate so much about this plane?

Indeed, a while back, I argued against the growing trend of using single-aisle Boeing 757s for flights across the Atlantic. I like my international planes big, and the 757 isn’t big enough for my tastes.

To me, EF, it’s not just the narrower seats. Instead, it’s the single aisle.

The single aisle makes lavatory access harder, even if you don’t have the aisle seat. It means more climbing over people, which disturbs you and them.

So forgive me while we wonk out with the numbers for a moment. Let’s compare the 757 to the most common widebodies flying over the oceans (and yes, we’re talking about coach here… let’s assume your upgrade didn’t clear):

• If you’ve got a 757, then only 2 out of 6 passengers per row (33%) have an aisle seat.
  2 out of 6 have to climb over two people to reach the aisle. That’s 33% of passengers who have the discomfort of the double-climb-over.

• If you’re on a 767 (2-3-2 configuration), then 4 out of 7 passengers per row (57%) have an aisle seat.
  0 out of 7 passengers have to climb over two people to reach the aisle.

• If you’re on an A330 or A340 (2-4-2 configuration), then 4 out of 8 passengers (50%) have an aisle seat.
  Once again, no one has to climb over two people to reach the aisle.

• The 777 depends on the configuration. It’s usually 3-3-3 (e.g., Continental, Delta, Cathay Pacific, Singapore, Air New Zealand…), but sometimes it’s 2-5-2 (American, United), or a tight 3-4-3 (Emirates).
  If it’s 3-3-3, then 4 out of 9 passengers per row (44%) have an aisle seat, and 2 out of 9 (22% - both window seats) have to climb over two people to reach the aisle.
  If it’s 2-5-2, then it’s still 4/9 (44%) aisle seats, but only 1 out of 9 (11%, the dreaded middle-of-five seat) has to climb over two people to reach the aisle.

• The jumbo 747 has a 3-4-3 configuration, with only 4 out of 10 (40%) of passengers per row having an aisle, and the folks at the windows (20%) with the 2-person climb.
• The A380 is like a 747 downstairs and like an A340/330 upstairs. See above.

So the bottom line: A 757 offers the lowest odds (33%) of getting an aisle seat. The 767 offers the best odds of the aisle, with 57%.

Simultaneously, the 757 offers the highest odds (33%) of being pinned in, forced to climb over two people to use the loo. The 767 and A330/340 force no one to crawl over two people.

Sounds to me like the 757 is the worst of both worlds for long trips.

And especially in an age of increased awareness of deep-veined thrombosis, getting out of your seat is something you really should be doing on medium- to long-haul flights.

I’ll stick to my preference for widebodies, thanks.

(image)

Airlines are catching a lot of well-deserved flak for their declining customer service these days. But it’s not that way across the board. Sometimes, an airline gets it right.

This story of love, hope, and redemption comes to us from the desk of… my dad. Yes, the dadster writes in with some reader mail, with a rave about the service he received from Swiss International Airlines. (The airline chieftains hate it when you call them Swissair, the bankrupt carrier from which the modern Swiss International Airlines emerged…)

Dad flew Swiss coming back from Germany last week. He used 90,000 80,000 of his United miles to fly business class to Germany on Lufthansa, and back on Swiss. (edit: Dad e-mailed to correct me on the mileage…) And predictably, I applaud him for a fine cents-per-mile use of the miles.

The bulk of his praise is for what he experienced on the ground. If you’ve ever just missed a flight, then you’ll especially appreciate this. Read on after the jump… (more…)

Reader Sylvia asks:

I have an American Express blue card, but I want to get a different American Express Card that earns hotel points. Do I have to apply for a new card or can I just convert the card I have to the card that earns points?

Sylvia, I assume you’re thinking about the American Express Starwood or Hilton card. (aff) Unfortunately, in the case of American Express, you’ll need to apply for a new card, and then cancel the old one if you want the bonuses. This was confirmed to me over the phone.

The downside: Your credit score gets knocked a couple points for the new application, and depending on the creditor, the age of the account might get reset. (Older credit accounts are better than newly-established ones, for credit score purposes.) With Amex, they will likely keep your original “Member since…” date printed on the card, and not reset that to the new account’s start date, but you’ll likely get a new account number, which is what matters on your credit report.

If you’re deciding between the two Amex hotel programs, take a close look at the card terms to see which suits you better. Obviously, if you stay at one company’s brands more than the other, that creates an incentive. But if you’re brand-agnostic, the Starwood card may be the pick. The Hilton card is free, but the points aren’t very convertible. The Starwood card costs $45 a year (waived the first year), but the points can transfer to a laundry list of airline programs. So you have the airline backup, in case you decide not to use your Starwood points on hotel stays.

But either way you go, you’re going to have to re-apply.

Related:
- Reader mail: What kind of point-earning credit card is best?
- Use a credit card internationally? The banks owe you a refund.
- Reader mail: How can I upgrade flights using American Express?
- American Express Starwood Card (aff)
- American Express Hilton HHonors Card (aff)

(image)

Reader Brian G. asks:

Your recent reader mail about international stopovers provides a reasonable segue for me to ask a question I’ve been pondering: is there a resource for identifying ALL of the non-stop flights from a given airport?
I initially thought of this question a couple of years ago while living in Alaska for the summer. Anchorage claims (and I have no reason to doubt) that Ted Stevens was the first North American airport with non-stop flights to both Europe and Asia. I started wondering if there were any airports in the world with non-stop, commercial flights to five continents (Antarctica is out and I’m not counting the continent of origin).

In my experience airport websites are largely useless. Of course I can use various search engines and try origin and destination airports through educated guesses, but not all airlines are listed in all search engines, and it’s sometimes hard to tell if a flight is truly non-stop. Probably the most useful resources I found were airline route maps, but still that’s a lot of guessing and checking. (Singapore was my best guess [for an airport with flights to five continents], but I can’t find a non-stop to South America. Perhaps Johannesburg?)

Such a resource has a practical application: we’re using miles to go to (Europe? South America) next summer, but we don’t care where we fly to specifically - we just want a non-stop flight from SFO. I’d like to type in an airport code and get an alphabetical list of direct flights and their associated airlines. Any suggestions?

Suggestions, yes, but none that meet your criteria fully. But let’s back up:

First off, don’t forget that when airports claim to have X number of nonstop flights to various locations, that number can (and will) include cargo flights. Anchorage, for example, is laden with nonstop cargo flights to Asia. And even if a search picks those flights up, that’s not going to help you plan your travels.

Second, no, I haven’t found an airport that meets your 5-continent criteria. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Readers, any help here?

But back to your core question:
I don’t have a magic bullet for you. Like you’ve found, there is no single source for nonstops. The closest is OAG’s online tool for finding all direct flights from a given airport. Click it, enter the origin airport name or code, and it will list all the cities served. BUT: You need to dig deeper to find which airline services that city pair, and more importantly, you don’t see whether or not that flight is nonstop or not.

Similarly, you can try running searches on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics website. But it’s not easy. You choose your variables and download flight data into an Excel spreadsheet. Have fun!

I also tried other sites that give great information on flights — flightstats.com and flightaware.com for example — but no luck there, either.

So… any of the myriad travel webmasters out there want to take the challenge? Who will create a site that creates a searchable database of all the nonstop flights (ideally with the operating airline included in the results) from airports around the world?

A note on lingo: In your question you use “direct” and “nonstop” interchangeably, even though you acknowledge that some flights aren’t really nonstop. In airline speak, a flight can be “direct” if the same flight number serves multiple cities. Say, if the same number is used for both a flight from Houston to Newark and the onward flight from Newark to Amsterdam, then Houston to Amsterdam is considered “direct,” even though there’s a connection (and maybe even a change of planes) in Newark. Flyer beware.

UPDATE: FareCompare.com CEO Rick Seaney hits the comments to point to his site’s nonstop-search feature. One catch: You have to choose the airline. Choose your airport/city, then choose the airline, and the site gives you the nonstops. Here’s the line Rick provided in comments, for New York City, to start the ball rolling. Replace “NYC” with the airport code of your choice to try for yourself:
http://www.farecompare.com/flights/-NYC/city.html

Reader Joanna writes:

Is it worth paying an extra $20 to get an extra 1000 miles? United has a deal where you pay the fee and get bonus miles. My husband and I are hoping to fly to France next year, and we could use the extra miles. What do you think?

$20 for 1000 miles means two cents per mile… that’s about what miles should be worth. That’s my minimum-value target for cashing in miles, though I try for higher. Most folks get a lot less per mile than that, if they cash in their miles at all.

(See here for a breakdown of how miles are valued.)

United’s offer is a discount to their normal “miles-for-sale” offer, so it’s an upgrade from that. But it’s not really a steal.

A year ago, Northwest Airlines started an identical offer. (They called it “supersizing.”)

My advice: Only pay up for this offer if you KNOW you are about to cash in miles for something, and you’re just shy of the “free” ticket. And use it only — only! — as a last ditch effort to bump up the account. Don’t use it to hoard. It’s not always easy to cash in your points, so you don’t want to just pay money willy-nilly to an airline. And if you’re effectively pre-paying for that “free” ticket. For most people, the offer isn’t worth it.

(gratuitous image of Three Mile Island lamp… Three MILE… get it… har har har…)

Reader Mara writes:

My husband and I are planning on flying to Milan from Houston later this fall using US Airways miles, and I’m wondering what the best option for connections would be. The agent tells me we can connect in Philadelphia, or there are Star Alliance flights we can take with Lufthansa, United, or Austrian. We know from reading your site that London Heathrow is bad for connections, and we would love some advice on where to change planes most conveniently. What should we avoid? Unfortunately there’s no Houston to Milan flight we can take! Thanks!

I applaud your strategizing, Mara, and I think you’re well on your way, simply knowing that Heathrow is a place to avoid. (Don’t believe me? Watch the video.)

There’s no nonstop Houston to Milan, so you’re going to be changing planes for this itinerary. So the question is, as you suggest, where to do it.

My general advice for travel to/from the United States: Try to avoid changing planes upon arriving in the US from overseas. You go through passport control and customs at your port of entry, not your final destination, so you have to claim your bags, possibly submit them to search, re-check those bags for your connection, probably change terminals, and hope you’ve left enough time to make the next flight. Not so in most of Europe: Connections are much, much easier in Europe, with customs inspections at your final destination rather than your entry point.

At the same time, the last thing I want to do after an overnight flight is to get onto another plane. Sure, I’ve done it, and sometimes it’s unavoidable, but my preference is always to have the overnight long-haul end at my destination. On overnight flights, try to arrive at your final destination, instead of at a hub requiring a connection.

So, practically, what does this mean for you? On your flight TO Italy, I would make connections in the U.S. and fly over the Atlantic direct to Milan. On the return, I’d make my connection somewhere in Europe and fly the long haul straight to Houston.

A caveat: These itineraries will usually involve different airlines on either end. That could get pricey for cash-money fares, even with codesharing. Try ITA’s search tool to find the best connections, and to get a sense of prices. Kayak.com may be of help, too, for mixed-airline itineraries.

But you said you’re using frequent flyer miles. Good! This is one of the less-celebrated benefits of the “free” ticket: You can mix your itinerary, with one airline going over and a different alliance member coming back. Use that flexibility to your advantage. And note: You won’t be able to view all the options online. You have to call the airline that you have the miles with — in your case, US Airways.

A quick search on arbitrary dates yields a flight from Houston to Philadelphia, and Philadelphia to Milan (all on US Airways). Coming back, consider Lufthansa from Milan to Frankfurt, and continuing from Frankfurt to Houston. Those flights follow the rules I set out, letting you avoid connections in Europe in the morning after your arrival, and skipping the tense fear that you might not make your connecting flight in the US, once you’ve dealt with Homeland Security’s passport control and customs inspections.

Either way you go, good luck, safe travels, and enjoy Milan!

(image)

Back in March, I posted about Spirit Airlines’ $9 fare club, which charges a $29.95 annual fee to provide members with access to “private” sale fares, apparently as low as $9 each way. In recent weeks, I’ve been receiving multiple e-mails requesting that **I** cancel someone else’s membership in the Spirit $9 club.

Letters start like “I am being charged at $29.95 fee for membership in Spirit Club. I do not remember joining this and I need to be removed/canceled immediately.”

Huh?? Why are you asking ME? I mean, I’d love to help, but shouldn’t the question be addressed to the airline? What’s going on here?

A few web searches and clicks, and I think I’ve found the answer.

1) If you do a Google search for “Spirit Airlines $9 club” or “Spirit $9 club,” the top-ranked search result isn’t Spirit’s own page for their club. It’s this site. This post. (Interestingly, if you add the word “fare” to your search terms, such as “Spirit $9 fare club,” you actually do get the Spirit Airlines website. The quirks of Google!)

But surely people can see from the content of that post that Upgrade: Travel Better is not the same as Spirit Airlines? For pete’s sake, the post even skeptically suggests that you shouldn’t waste your money on their club membership. I guess people don’t read.

2) More importantly, why are so many people complaining about memberships that they say they didn’t purchase? Is Spirit automatically signing people up for this club without their consent?

Again, it seems that people don’t read. Here’s what I think is happening:

If you go to the Spirit Airlines website and select flights for purchase, you get a summary page that presents your selected itinerary. On that page, there is also the following text:

Aha! The dreaded opt-out. If you don’t uncheck the boxes, you automatically buy travel insurance and join the $9 club, which automatically renews for $29.95 a year. Very sneaky, questionably ethical, and clearly designed to prey on the folks who don’t read things carefully — the same people who don’t notice that this site isn’t Spirit Airlines.

So, what do you do if you were careless and signed up for the $9 club? You can certainly cancel, but you may be out of luck in getting a refund. The terms and conditions of the $9 club state:

1.3. A Member may cancel his or her membership in the Club at any time by selecting the unsubscribe option within their FREE SPIRIT account profile or by notifying Spirit in writing at the address at the bottom of this page. Cancellations by mail will take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to become effective.
[…]
3.2. After 3 months after initial enrollment in the Club, and on each anniversary thereafter, Members will be automatically charged an annual fee of $29.95 for membership in the Club. Annual fees are non-refundable, notwithstanding Member’s cancellation of membership in the Club.
[…]
3.5. A Member will not be entitled to any refund of any membership fees upon cancellation of membership in the Club.
(emphasis added)

By forcing people to opt out, instead of opting in, to join the club, and by then making refunds impossible, it’s clear that those club memberships are designed to be pure profit, preying on the careless. Classy as always, Spirit!

Disgruntled club members may not get a refund, but should be sure to follow the instructions above and cancel their memberships. But I’m afraid I can’t help anyone do that.

Related:
- Is Spirit Airlines’ new club worth joining?
- Downgrades: Spirit Airlines to charge for ALL luggage, coffee, and soda
- Spirit Airlines to Democrats: Drop Dead