Spirit Airlines to pay out $8.25M after class-action lawsuit over bag fees of up to $100 designed to ‘trick and trap consumers’
Spirit Airlines to pay out $8.25 million after class action lawsuit over $100 baggage fees designed to deceive and entrap consumers
- A group of travelers who traveled with the airline for the first time and booked their trips through third-party travel websites between 2011 and 2017 sued the airline six years ago
- They claimed that the budget airline’s carry-on fees were a surprise and deliberately hidden to make a profit
- The lawsuit argued that Spirit’s “bait-and-switch” and “gotcha” tactics are intended to confuse, mislead and entrap consumers.
Spirit Airlines has agreed to pay up to $8.25 million to settle a passenger class action lawsuit alleging sneaky baggage fees of up to $100.
A group of new travelers to the airline who booked their travel through third-party travel websites between 2011 and 2017 took the airline to court six years ago.
They claimed that the budget airline’s carry-on fees were a surprise and deliberately hidden to make a profit.
The lawsuit argued that Spirit’s “bait-and-switch” and “gotcha” tactics are designed to confuse, mislead and entrap consumers.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the deal in a motion Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn asking a judge to approve it, saying it “represents a fair compromise.”
Spirit Airlines has agreed to pay up to $8.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit by passengers over sneaky baggage fees of up to $100
A group of travelers who traveled with the airline for the first time and booked their trips through third-party travel websites between 2011 and 2017 sued the airline six years ago
They claimed that the budget airline’s carry-on fees were a surprise and deliberately hidden to make a profit
In the lawsuit, travelers accused Spirt of advertising misleadingly low prices on travel websites that did not disclose what baggage fees passengers would have to pay at the airport.
“Spirit falsely misled the plaintiff and countless other consumers, and continues to mislead consumers into believing they are buying low-cost airline tickets, when in fact Spirit fabricates the discount it claims to be giving consumers with fraudulent and unwarranted charges,” the lawsuit read. .
Spirit’s bait-and-switch and gotcha tactics are designed to confuse, mislead and entrap consumers to the detriment of the public.
Those who didn’t prepay for a carry-on bag could be forced to pay $100 at the gate to take their bag on the flight, according to the lawsuit, even though pre-checked bags usually cost about $40.
“Spirit’s fees are not conspicuously displayed on its website or third-party providers’ websites, and consumers are often unaware of Spirit’s high and lavish fees until they purchase a ticket that initially seemed attractive,” the defendants argued. in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit argued that Spirit’s “bait-and-switch” and “gotcha” tactics are intended to confuse, mislead and entrap consumers.
The travelers accused Spirt of advertising misleadingly low prices on travel websites that did not disclose what baggage fees passengers would have to pay at the airport.
They said that these fees were sometimes as high as the tickets themselves. The plaintiffs originally sought $100 million in damages, but that was dropped in a later version of the lawsuit.
The class action includes those who booked their flights through Expedia, Travelocity, Kiwi, CheapOair, CheapTickets or BookIt.
Passengers eligible for a refund under the deal will be reimbursed up to 75 percent of their travel costs, although this could be lower depending on the total amount of refunds requested by all group members.
Under the motion, the maximum payout of $8.25 million includes attorneys’ fees.
Like other low-cost carriers, Miramar, Florida-based Spirit relies on additional fees to make up for lower base fares.
Dailymail.com has contacted Spirit Airlines for comment.