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Home » News » Is Spirit Airlines Breaking the Law With Passenger Usage Fee?
NewsSpirit

Is Spirit Airlines Breaking the Law With Passenger Usage Fee?

Kyle Stewart Posted onJanuary 5, 2020September 13, 2021 62 Comments

One of my favorite flight hacks is to buy Spirit Airlines tickets at the airport and save the online-only passenger usage fee. But based on a recent experience, it seems they may be breaking the law through false advertising and disclosures. 


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What Is Spirit Airlines Passenger Usage Fee?

Spirit Airlines gets around some revenue taxes by charging a portion of their fare as a Passenger Usage Fee, it’s a convenience fee for booking online. The fees range from $11.99-27.99 each passenger each way but can be avoided by purchasing tickets at the airport instead.

Fare breakdown
Fare breakdown

Consider buying a trip to Florida for a family of three such as mine. Buying at the airport could save us $72- $162 per roundtrip. In relation to the fare, that could be as much as half of the ticket price. This has long been one of my favorite airfare hacks, living close to the airport has its perks.

Fares Should Be The Same

Some carriers charge less for fares booked online, with a travel agency or as part of a group than in-person walk-up fares. However, the rule of this fare states in the breakdown that it includes the fee which can be avoided by booking at the airport. If I can avoid that fee by booking at the airport, the math should be simple: $26.30 – $11.99 or $14.31/passenger.

Passenger Usage Charge
Passenger Usage Charge

In the past, this has been my experience. We often save money on flights like this which leave extra money for Big Front Seats, seating assignments or checked luggage.

I went to the airport to purchase the ticket and I was told by the counter staff that the fare I could book at the airport was $33/each inclusive of taxes and fees. I couldn’t get a breakdown in person at the airport, neither printed nor stated. Some have reported that Spirit voids a fuel surcharge fee for online fares but charges them in person. This seems legally precarious but perhaps is valid as a legal workaround.

To book my ticket, I worked with another agent and was able to get the correct price. A similar price mismatch occurrence happened to a family member recently.

In an effort to understand the discrepancy I tried to remove the Passenger Usage fee and replace it with the fuel surcharge that can be applied at the airport to see if my calculations would match the agent. However, even adding a fuel surcharge as stated on the Spirit Airlines website should limit the cost to $12 which would still come to a cost of roughly the same as booked online in my particular case, $26.31.

Spirit Airlines fees
Spirit Airlines fees

Why Is This Illegal?

If a fare is sold as $26.30 (in this case) but $11.99 of that fare includes an optional convenience fee to buy online, it has to be available for purchase by some other method in order to be valid, in this case buying at the airport. Once that fee becomes inescapable, it’s no longer a fee and abides by normal airfare rules and regulations.

Replacing the fee with another type of fee may work legally, but in this instance, that wasn’t the case either.

Ryan Air was taken to court about some of these issues in Europe. While European law isn’t exactly the same as US law, many of the principles are. A fee is valid if it’s optional, if it’s not then it’s part of the fare. Germany took issue with Ryan Air charging a fee to process payments regardless of method of payment:

“Berlin’s Superior Court of Justice, citing a European Union directive, deemed that the charge was ‘inadmissible’ unless the airline also offered a charge-free method of payment.”

Replacing the fee not charged online by charging in person for a different fee is, in essence, the same thing.

Conclusion

Unlike many other travel writers, I love flying Spirit Airlines. The flights are often direct and affordable if you play by their rules. However, when they circumvent their own rules there should be accountability. Replacing a fee that can only be avoided by purchasing in-person can’t then be replaced by a fee that is only charged in-person and not online. That’s having their cake and eating it too and not following their own rules.

What do you think? Is this illegal or a valid workaround for the airport? Shouldn’t Spirit play by the same rules they make passengers play by?

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About Author

Kyle Stewart

Kyle is a freelance travel writer with contributions to Time, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Reuters, Huffington Post, MapHappy, Live And Lets Fly and many other media outlets. He is also co-founder of Scottandthomas.com, a travel agency that delivers "Travel Personalized." He focuses on using miles and points to provide a premium experience for his wife and daughter. Email: sherpa@thetripsherpa.com

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62 Comments

  1. 121Pilot Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    There are two questions here.

    1. Is this legal? I’m not a lawyer and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night but it certainly seems like something that isn’t legal.

    2. Should airlines have to play by the same rules as they demand of their customers?

    Ohh heck yes. The inequality in the relationship is one of the biggest problems with air travel. If you make a mistake in the booking process even if you catch it quickly then your hosed. Airlines by contrast can void “mistake fares” at will and without meaningful consequence. They can sell you one product and actually provide another. The list goes on and on.

    • Mary Reply
      September 22, 2020 at 5:49 pm

      Worst airlines in the world! Everyone was so rude and lied about my daughter in law refusing to wear a mask. She was wearing a mask and they said she couldnt wear that one so she put on the one they gave her, not even arguing about it and they kicked her off the plane and kept saying she refused to wear a mask. Lying theives to put it nicely.

  2. Sexy_kitten7 Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    I don’t understand why you couldn’t get a fare breakdown at the airport. Doesn’t the receipt show the fare, taxes, and fees?

    • Jude Rhodes Reply
      January 5, 2020 at 5:21 pm

      I fly Spirit from IAHMSY and buy my tix for upcoming flights saving roughly $38.00 per RT tix. Just purchased a $104 online flight at the counter for $66.82. This is the breakdown on my Receipt:

      Charges:
      Fares 0.02 USD
      Travel Fees 66.80 USD
      Taxes 2.66 USD
      Fees 0.00 USD
      Other -2.66 USD

      Total 66.86 USD

      I am unsure what is included in the “Travel Fees” but it is always cheaper to buy at the counter- even as a Spirit $9 Fare/MC member.

      • Maggie Reply
        January 5, 2020 at 9:05 pm

        Can you use the ever present coupon codes when you buy tickets at the airport?

      • Mike d Reply
        January 5, 2020 at 9:14 pm

        The travel fee is the new bs fee they charge. You will never see this fee on previous ticket vouchers. I have pictures from numerous tickets purchased over the years and the most recent is the only one that shows this fee. I called them out on it and received a refund

      • C Agnello Reply
        January 6, 2020 at 12:59 am

        Idk about being cheaper than 9 dollar fare club. I work at one of spirits hub airports so buying in person is super convenient for me( I mean I can go do it while I’m on break if I want). But I’ve found booking with 9dfc to be cheaper by at least 10%. But that’s just my personal experience.

      • Kyle Stewart Reply
        January 6, 2020 at 11:31 pm

        @Jude – I had the same breakdown on the ticket I finally purchased and it was no more descriptive than yours which does not explain the fees.

      • Jim Reply
        September 28, 2020 at 1:49 am

        Is this still the case with spirit?

    • Blake Reply
      January 5, 2020 at 5:37 pm

      This works for Frontier flights as well.

      • Donna Pillitteri Reply
        January 5, 2020 at 8:53 pm

        I get so upset when I have to pay for my seats. I need to sit next to my handicapped son. So I pay for seats going and returning flights

        • Kyle Stewart Reply
          January 6, 2020 at 11:33 pm

          @Donna – I can’t say this is a policy, but every time I have purchased at the airport I have had seats assigned at the time of purchase and it was always with the rest of my party (for example 24A, 24B, 24C.) If they ever split us up I will probably pay for the seat assignments but haven’t had to yet.

    • Karl Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 9:28 am

      The airline industry is a horrible financial performer. The shell game is not to gouge you but to make you choose them over others. If you’re getting a decent price overall then consider a STFU approach and let the airlines do the squabbling while you enjoy the Benny’s of the competitive market. Dont forget to thank the Republican party for fixing it to where you aren’t spending 1,000 on the 162 dollar ticket.

      • Matthew Reply
        January 7, 2020 at 12:05 am

        No. Don’t shut up. If the advertised price does not include all mandatory fees then they’re breaking the law. Period.

      • David Pepperdine Reply
        January 7, 2020 at 12:59 am

        Don’t thank the Republican Party.

      • Michael G Davis Reply
        January 7, 2020 at 1:02 am

        You can also thank them for unending wars in the middle East, the most severe I come inequality some the days of the robber barons, and the fact that healthcare Costa twice what it does in any other industrialized nation (but that only pays for 80% of us instead of 100%, like those other places).

        [redacted by admin] you

    • Bryan Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 10:51 pm

      He’s right. I started to experience the same with Spirit. Desk agent refused to give me a breakdown. Emailed customer support and agent also refused to give me a breakdown. Both were rude about it. My sentiments echoed the writer’s. Can’t have your cake and eat too.

  3. Tony Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    i mean this is spirit airlines we’re talking about here lol. Is the $12 savings worth going to an airport and spending time to book a ticket though? only makes sense if you’re already at the airport, otherwise fuel and parking offsets any savings there.

    • Robert Reply
      January 5, 2020 at 5:47 pm

      Like you, I thought the same thing when I first read that part. $12, really? It’s not worth a trip to the airport just to save $12.
      Unlike you, I kept reading. The author goes on to explain that it is $12 -$27 per person per way. So a round trip is $24 -$54. The author also points out that for a family the savings could be considerable. For example, a family of 4 would save $100-$200 a trip.

    • Hank Reply
      January 5, 2020 at 6:35 pm

      Actually Tony I think your wrong. In NJ Spirit flies out of Atlantic City as well as Newark. My wife works down there so she books us on a day when sh is in area. It’s only $2 to park for 2 hours which ends up being more than enough time. But if they start charging this other mystery fee they certainly will make it not worth it.

    • C Agnello Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 1:01 am

      This is true. But I work at the airport. And why would you ever pay for parking at an airport. Do you not have a friend that can drop you and circle around to pick you up when your done booking?

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 11:37 pm

      @Tony – Robert and Hank are right. I save no less than $12/person/direction and sometimes up to $28. Take a party of three at the low end on a roundtrip and you have at least $72 in savings but sometimes more. I also live close to the airport and often book more than one itinerary on the same visit. For example, last year I booked three weekend trips each with $20/person/way for my family of three. That saved me $120 per trip at 3 trips so my 15 minute trip to the airport and $2 in parking I saved $360. Otherwise, you’re correct – I wouldn’t drive to the airport to save $12 in total.

  4. James Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    Unless you’re a lawyer with comprehensive understanding, then I believe when you say its illegal, it is illegal. But since you are far from that and I expect a corporation like airlines have in house counsel or have retained lawyers to examine the legal cost of this, and your title ends with question mark, you only wants to build opinion like a click bait.

    As Matt have pointed out previously, your articles have higher traffic. You do know how to clickbait, regardless of truth contained therein. You would go for that path. Not for reviewing, for traffic.

    Nice bait tough….. Hahaha

    • C Agnello Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 1:07 am

      You say this in a country where company’s are known to see how long they can push the limits and even completely walk passed them until the agency who’s responsible for overseeing them politely gives them a warning to find another way to make more money. The united states is the land of no real consequence on the first time. This is the land of second chances. And you you have money it’s the land of 2and and 3rd and 4th . . .

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 11:44 pm

      @James – I asked if it was illegal, is that against the unspoken rules of blogging? Am I not allowed to raise valid questions with contrasting outcomes given a set of facts and experiences? It wouldn’t be the first time an airline has done something they felt was legal but a court decided was not, but I am sure you read that in the post and followed the link, right?

      Further, look up clickbait. This is not that. Clickbait would have been “Spirit Airlines charged me an illegal fee and it’s happening to you too.” That’s not necessarily true and the title doesn’t treat the issue as a question and reaches a conclusion which it may not be able to satisfy. But you already knew that.

      At least I have the courage and conviction to post statements on the internet using my real name, Wolverine.

    • Ltl Reply
      January 12, 2020 at 2:54 pm

      What a strange conclusion to draw – this isn’t illegal because corporations have in house lawyers? By that logic no corporation would have ever done anything illegal.

  5. DD Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    All This Talk-
    This guy does not know what he’s talking about. Clearly Spirit has great fares online or if your “Savy” at the airport. And yes at the airport when you buy one as I have you get a complete fare and tax breakdown on the ticket receipt.

    Another person NOT knowing anything thinking there some kind of airline guru and their not.

    • Bcas Reply
      January 5, 2020 at 11:30 pm

      I had this same problem and did some investigation. If the agent at the airport doesn’t specifically choose the lowest available fare when your buying the tickets at the airport counter, then the fare can be higher even than the online price. Many agents at the airport don’t know they can select another fare than the one automatically pulled up when they search for your itinerary. It’s either they’re rushing and don’t pay attention or simply aren’t trained on their own software enough to be proficient.

      Next time you’re having this problem just politely ask them to double check that they selected the lowest fare.

      Spirit customer service refunded the difference when this happened to me and explained the mistake. Ever since whenever it’s happened I did what I suggested above and it was fixed before I made the purchase.

      • Shiyi Yin Reply
        February 25, 2020 at 3:56 pm

        thanks for the tip will try next time.

    • Bryan Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 10:56 pm

      Savvy.
      They’re.
      They’re.

      In you’re incapable of spelling these words correctly, then it’s hard to respect your harsh judgement of the writer.

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 11:46 pm

      @DD – Except that’s not how Spirit lists fees. “Travel Fees” are everything other than fare and tax and not broken down to say which were assigned and which were not. Online, it’s clearer but that’s not helpful since that’s where the fee for which I am avoiding is found.

  6. Hank Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 8:47 pm

    I agree, something changed at Spirit recently in the amount of money you save by buying at the airport. My total fate at the airport used to be easy to predict; just take the regular fare plus taxes and fees and subtract the passenger usage fee. The last three times I purchased at the airport, that math didn’t work, and they weren’t able to help at the counter. They just shrugged and said that’s the price that’s coming up. I’ve been unable to find an explanation about this online.

  7. Mike d Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 9:05 pm

    Spirit had changed their website to make the passenger usage fee much more difficult to locate. When I went to airport to purchase the charge did not add up to the expected price. I needed the ticket and had to purchase it regardless of the confusion. As I was walking to my car I thought “this isn’t right” and immediately went back inside to speak with a manager. When I walked up to the counter and explained my concern I was met with a “I don’t know anything about prices online” I asked to speak with a manager and the rep disappeared for 3 minutes. Upon his return I was told I would have to contact spirit by email if I had a concern with the cost. I was overcharged $72. On my drive home from the airport I received a call from the agent at the airport who informed me after looking closer at the ticket cost I would be refunded $72 (which I was a few days later). I have screen shots and the spirit ticket with an added fee I have never seen before. Years ago a law was passed that must make airline ticket cost online represent the total cost including taxes and fees. Although I initially saved the passenger usage fee by booking at the airport another few was added. Seems to be treading the line of legal in my opinion. Needless to say I ended up with a round trip ticket from Phoenix to Orlando for $29 each way. Although frustrating I still feel it’s worth the aggravation. For those who can’t understand driving to the airport to save “$12”. This ticket was $74 each way on their site. Saved $46 each way, if it were a family of 4 that’s $46 (each way) x 4 (travelers) x 2 (for round trip) = approx $370 saved for my 15 min drive to the airport. I guess if you make $1480/hr is not worth the time. Anyway the new way to see the passenger usage fee online is too get all the way through the website booking (seats, rental car, hotel, bags) and click to view the breakdown of fees. I was told by phone the new passenger usage fee is 23.99 per leg of trip (lay over is then times 2) not sure if I believe this is always the case but it was this time. I plan to always screen shot the current fare breakdown on my phone before I get to the counter in the future. I’ve saved thousands over the years by going to the airport and their new antics will not stop me.

  8. Haseeb Ashraf Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 11:10 pm

    i agree with the poster. had similar experience twice few months ago. went in expecting airport price would be online price minus usage fee. wasn’t the case. i did see breakdown but the categories were grouped and named different from online categories so it was hard to figure what happened. didn’t have this issue the previous ~50 times that i had purchased spirit tickets from airport previously. i even searched online after that experience hoping someone would have already posted about the change but didn’t find anything until this article popped up. shady spirit.

    • Dedra Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 1:30 am

      Also the removal of the passenger usage fee is not valid with the $9 fare club rate…just FY, but anyways I love Spirit.

  9. david v Reply
    January 5, 2020 at 11:36 pm

    I fly Spirit often and never thought to buy the tickets at the airport. I am going to try that next time and see how much is the difference

  10. Ernie Espinoza Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 12:19 am

    I love Spirit Airlines. I think pricing is great and everything else too. Love the cabin crews, as good as any or better in most cases. The planes are good and for price , love it. Really like those yellow big birds. I just got my brother to join fare club for his trip in June.

  11. Nat Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 12:54 am

    Dear author…You’re literally the only person on Earth who enjoys flying with Spirit.

    • Tevin Wilks Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 10:59 pm

      He’s literally not.

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 11:53 pm

      @Nat – Your experience with Spirit may be dated. Frontier scored last in customer satisfaction last year, American Airlines one spot ahead of them then Spirit and rising. United was only slightly ahead of Spirit.

      Further, Spirit is more likely to get you to your destination on-time, more likely to offer a direct route, charges less for seat assignments and checked baggage than Basic Economy at rivals and still charges less overall. I love them for easy flights to Florida from the Northeast.

  12. Billy Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 3:40 am

    Is the online booking fee waived if you call in the reservation instead of going in person?

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      I believe they charge $25 to book over the phone consistent with other major carriers like United, Delta and American.

  13. Billy Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 3:52 am

    It just seems that the only way to get the best deal is booking early as possible! So actually driving to the airport to book a flight in advance just to save 13 bucks versus booking online or on the phone in the comfort of your home may not be too terrible. because regardless spirit is still a reasonably affordable airline regardless of how they structure there billing statements.

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      January 6, 2020 at 11:55 pm

      @Billy – I booked just days out and still found a killer deal. The one I listed in my example was 28 days in advance for what it’s worth.

      • Karen Anderson Reply
        January 7, 2020 at 3:19 am

        Kyle- Please read my comment below and tell me your thoughts. Like the issues you pointed out, Spirit is not being forthright with actual answers and making money from customers on charges that aren’t legit.

  14. Debi Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 8:27 am

    We have booked both ways, online and at airport. We purchased tickets at the airport for holiday travel , which is always very high, and noticed that the usual discount was much less. I did notice the “ travel fee” which I had never seen before. I thank you for pointing it out and will forever be in the look out for it. I believe you are correct, that it is illegal to substitute one fee for another. One, if you purchase online and one if you purchase at the airport. No one is saving , the airline is recouping all they can.

  15. Michelle Hughes Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 10:30 am

    I bought a ticket through Spirit Airlines call the night before to check on my flight it wasn’t even scheduled. Luckily I was able to purchase it again when I was coming home they delayed my flight for 3 days Spirit Airlines was supposed to give me $100 gift card never got it. Scheduled another flight through spirit $ hundred in $12 Spirit went through a different agency my ticket went up to $190 I couldn’t find the ticket because she went through a discount place and didn’t tell me. I cancel that one bought another one paid for a seat I’ll checked on it they bumped me off my seat and went up on the price. Cancel that one got another ticket the price kept going up and up. Now my understanding is when you buy something at One price nobody should be able to charge you more because they have your charge card. I fought with Spirit Airlines over three months they did nothing.

  16. Michelle Hughes Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 10:44 am

    I would not recommend Spirit Airlines to anyone. I was put through so much stress so much hassle. Three different times I can see one time messing up but three. I had to dispute it with my credit card company. Had to change the number on my credit card. Three months of stress with them they still did not reimburse me the hundred dollars for the 3-day overlay thank God I had a place to stay. I talked to so many different people wrote to so many people. I have heart conditions. Months and hours and hours on the phone to get nowhere. Years ago I would go to Florida three four times a year never had a problem. Now I will never purchase a ticket from Spirit again. I’ve told all my friends. I didn’t get to go on my trip because I couldn’t get a ticket without them saying it’s one price and they charge my credit card a different price way more than what it was quoted to me. It was so stressful on me and not fair at all. I feel did they should reimburse me for all the stress I had to go through.

  17. Nima Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    I have had the same experience, and also when trying to use flightflex and getting a price mismatch and being told I cannot see a fare breakdown. I have been considering filing a complaint with the DOT because it seems like this is a fraud scheme to get out of paying federal taxes.

  18. Karen Anderson Reply
    January 6, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    Kyle, Spirit Airlines has a bag of tricks up their sleeves. I live in New Orleans and my daughter and her Marine husband are stationed outside of San Diego. I like to visit her as often as I can. Spirit has offered some of the best fares to do that. I usually travel very light, often with just a backpack, however recently before Christmas I was bringing a lot of stuff and wanted to check one bag and bring a carry-on. It was going to cost me about $155 round trip to do so, but they advertized a special bundle package which allowed two suitcases, choose your seats, priority boarding, etc for $183 round trip. For $28 more round trip it was a great deal so I bought the bundle. After buying the tickets quickly online (it said only one seat left!) I began adding up the airfare and bundle and it did not equal the $403 they charged me. It clearly stated all fees and taxes were included in the $166 flight and the bundle was an outright purchase of $183. When I looked at the detailed breakdown, they charged full price for baggage, seats, advanced boarding and other amenities. Here’s the kicker–they use the $183 bundle package as a PROMO CODE. So in essence I paid full price for everything and they took the $183 off and charged full remainder which meant I saved nothing!!! It’s a con. Now shame on me for not going through the price breakdown before pressing buy- but I would like to think that when Spirit advertises a $166 flight with all taxes and fees included and a $183 inclusive, round trip bundle package, that is what I’m getting. The difference was approx $50, but most upsetting is that they are ripping people off. I have written them several times and called and they all say “it looks like all the charges were correct.” They will not directly address the discrepancy and promo code issue. I have sent screenshots where it clearly shows the bundle package is inclusive-not a promo code. I guess they figure I am going to get tired of banging my head against the wall, but that’s not the case. What Spirit Airlines us doing is blatantly wrong and false advertising.
    They are banking hundreds of thousands on misrepresentation and basically slight of hand. I want my money refunded and Spirit to admit it was incorrect and they have wasted my time and patience.

  19. CHARLIE JAMES Reply
    January 7, 2020 at 7:03 am

    Simply put, taxation is theft. If there is a work around, hallelujah. The government doesn’t have the authority in the constitution to tax friggen breathing.

  20. Mitchell Reply
    January 8, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    I also usually purchase Spirit tickets at the airport counter – but like you, have found that certain routes or dates are the same if not more of the online stated price less passenger usage fee. I also called and emailed customer service about it – like you said, if the fee is unavoidable, it’s part of the fare. No one was able to tell me why there is a discrepancy in real time between online fares and in-person fares. But oh well, as long as they offer the ability to book most of the routes this way (saving $40-$50 per trip) then I’m not complaining, but I would like some consistency.

  21. Matt Reply
    January 8, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Those fees can be broken down in the Reservation system that Spirit uses at the airport under a simple resource that is clearly labeled “Breakdown” that accounts for every fee and tax that is being charged on that ticket. My guess is that many of the agents just don’t aren’t educated in using it.

  22. Pa Chia Reply
    January 29, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    Hi!! I need advice!!

    I am booking MN to Orlando florida! 3 adults and 3 kids, to go right now is $37.xx to come back is $56.xx. Plus 2 check in bags approx. $35.xx each way.

    Do you recommend me to go to the airport to purchase my tickets? Or will it be a waste of my time since the flights will probably be more expensive at the counter?!! Please let me know!

    • Matthew Reply
      January 31, 2020 at 9:19 am

      I would not bother to purchase at the airport unless it is a short drive, but perhaps Kyle has a different opinion.

  23. Jeff p. Reply
    March 4, 2020 at 11:33 pm

    I purchased 2 round trip tickets from col. oh to tampa . I had to do the unthinkable and cancel my trip . Did it on line and when I printed the cancellation confirmation it clearly listed the original purchase price of $437 , then listed a $180 “other”(cancellation fee) and then listed the *passenger usage charge* of $91.96 … Which was ($91.96~4 =) $22.99 per segment . For a total $271.96 charge to cancel . Just wanted to share the fact that they are charging you coming and going…

  24. I don't want to leave anything with spirit Reply
    July 22, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    I will never ever in life fly spirit again!!!
    They charge for every darn
    thing!
    Take it is cheap but bags and overhead are as if you are paying for a whole nother person! This is a business trip airline if you are boring not for long and take one small bag with you

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      July 22, 2020 at 8:45 pm

      Thanks for your comment. While fees can be annoying, consider the full cost of flying, it may change your outlook. For example, I recently booked a roundtrip from Pittsburgh to Fort Lauderdale. Spirit’s cost was $137 roundtrip on non-stop flights. United was the next cheapest at $232 with a connection. With a checked bag (I carried on so I didn’t pay this) my total cost would have been $197, still cheaper than United which also would have charged for a checked bag or a carry-on. If I added an assigned seat, that would add another $24 total, still $11 cheaper than the next cheapest option. United also charges for this benefit though the price is higher.

      By comparison to United, Spirit got me there 38% faster, 44% cheaper – or left me enough to add seat assignments and get a bag onboard and still save 5%. Delta and American Airlines would include a free carry-on (but still would have charged the same or more for a checked bag) and still would have required a connection but were more expensive by at least another $30.

      Fees can be annoying, that’s fair enough. But the total cost of transportation is still lower (both using empirical data and in my own personal experiences.) The secret is to embrace them, load up on the extras that make you comfortable, and remember that you would not get them anywhere else either. Compare your total costs vs the competition and consider what works best for you.

  25. Ali Ahmed Reply
    May 16, 2021 at 1:46 am

    First, thank you, Kyle, for writing about this. I’ve been unable to find other posts calling out Spirit Airlines for this dubious changed practice. Like others, I’ve also been puzzled by why the price at the ticket counter no longer is the online price minus the Passenger Usage Fee. That’s definitely not an accident And like others, I’ve run up against the supposed ignorance of the airport employee regarding the breakdown of taxes, fees, etc.

    Note, also, that the “Passenger Usage Fee” has been slightly renamed to be a “Passenger Usage Charge.” I’m sure this also is not an accident–I’m guessing there’s some regulatory difference between a “fee” and a “charge.”

    I heard that the origin of Spirit’s waiving the PUF at the airport was that the airline didn’t have to pay a certain tax on the revenue they receive for the fee if there was a way of avoiding it. So they created this workaround, knowing that most of their passengers won’t jump through the hoops to avoid paying the PUF. I wonder whether the regulations regarding treatment of revenue from “fees” vs “charges” has driven the changed behavior that we all have noticed.

    I’d love for a consumer watchdog group to dig into this issue (in court if necessary) to provide some clarity.

  26. Nate Reply
    June 13, 2021 at 8:04 pm

    I used to fly Spirit a lot and was always able to avid the Passenger Usage Charge by booking at the airport. Not so anymore (though Frontier still waives their booking charge in person).

    Today, I tried to book Spirit at the airport and the ticket was actually *more expensive* than online. The agent was unable to provide a breakdown of the charges—their screen showed a base fare and “taxes and fees” with no breakdown, and what was printed on my receipt was totally different than what was shown on their screen. Here are the details:

    BWITPA TPAATL 30JUN21

    Online: $55.66 (base fare $9.75, excise tax $0.73, security fee $5.60, segment fee $8.60, passenger usage charge $21.98, passenger facility fee $9.00)

    Airport: $66.58 (base fare $5.01, excise tax $6.06, security fee $5.60, segment fee $8.60, regulatory compliance charge $13.02, fuel charge $22.32, passenger facility fee $9.00)

    On the printed receipt at the airport, it said the fare was $2.35 and the taxes and fees were $64.23. I have no idea why the online invoice is so different.

    My guess is they believe that the passenger usage charge is “avoidable” by booking at the airport, but booking at the airport adds the fuel charge and regulatory compliance charge, which are “avoidable” by booking online. Seems very sketchy. I’m really unhappy about this (it quite literally doubles the price of my tickets in some cases), and I probably will not fly with Spirit anymore.

  27. Bob Reply
    November 20, 2021 at 7:14 am

    Just booked a New Year’s Day flight returning home to Orlando from Minneapolis. In this case, doing one-way tickets both ways was most affordable. One advantage of living in Orlando is that flying to/from Minneapolis over Christmas is about 20% the cost of going the other way around on the same days.

    NOTE: For the purpose of this comment, I excluded bag fees because they are optional; yes, I’m checking a bag because it might be about 100 degrees colder in Minneapolis than Orlando over Christmas; but it IS a fee I can choose to pay or not. This comment is only about this thread and the sneaky fees such as the “Passenger Usage Fee”.

    After pressing the “Purchase” button, I was finally able to see the breakdown of all costs for the one-way, one-leg trip from MSP>MCO.
    The fare, humorously, was 35¢. The “fees” (not including bag) were $56.42, which included
    (a) $22.99 for the “Passenger Usage Charge”
    (b) $11.16 for Fuel Charge (I picture all of the passengers at the airport pump, slipping in their credit card to pay their fuel charge), and
    (c) $6.51 for “Regulatory Compliance Charge”. I called out those three because all were marked as “Carrier Charges”. The remaining cost was four more “fees” totaling $15.76 which I’m assuming were typical airport/federal charges.

    In reading through this thread, I can see why travelers may be frustrated by these sneaky fees tucked under the line which are actually just ways of increasing the fare without saying so. BUT, I also tried to look at it big picture. First, the total price was on the screen from the moment I began the search. Second, thankfully, the price I see on the first screen is the same price I pay at the end (unlike rental cars and hotels). Third, even with all fees included the total is 36% less than the next lowest (and equal service) fare, and 61% less than the lowest cost major.

    In other words, if Spirit eliminated all three of their sneaky fees and just put them on the fare, (a) the price would remain the same and (b) it would still be a bargain, so (c) I would do it anyway.

    • Greg Reply
      December 26, 2023 at 11:50 am

      If Spirit just added all those fees to the fare… Spirit wouldn’t be able to screw you even more when you go to use a voucher! The award voucher they give out are only good for the cost of the fare. So, in your example a .35 cent discount! Once a year they give there Saver’s Club members a free companion airfare voucher… which is usually only good for less $10 on any given flight!

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