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Spirit Airlines agreed to pay $8.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit. The suit was filed by passengers who booked flights through third-party travel agencies and claimed that they were surprised with carry-on bag fees.
The Daily Mail reports that the lawsuit was filed in 2017 and argues that the third-party sites hid these fees, which were sometimes as much as the airline tickets.
It alleged that Spirit used “bait-and-switch” and “gotcha tactics…designed to confuse, trick, and trap consumers.” First-time Spirit fliers who booked through BookIt, CheapOair, CheapTickets, Expedia, Kiwi, or Travelocity between August 31, 2011 and May 3, 2017 are eligible class members.
Bag fees were as high as $100 per traveler. The settlement will award refunds of up to 75% of the carry-on-bag fees. Spirit’s lawyers’ agreed to a deal on Wednesday in a Brooklyn federal court and requested a judge to approve it, saying it “represents a fair compromise.” A website will be setup for potential class members to file their claims.
Anthony’s Take: I flew Spirit yesterday and heard the gate agent repeatedly warning about bag fees. I’ve found that Spirit is good about disclosing these fees, but have never booked through a third-party agency.
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