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On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined Spirit Airlines $50,000 for using misleading price advertising in a series of billboards, posters and Twitter messages.
In a statement, DOT noted that when advertising a new Los Angeles service in June 2011, Spirit sent Twitter messages announcing $9 each-way fares and that, in violation of current rules, the amount of additional taxes and fees to be levied were not disclosed until two clicks into the airline’s website.
DOT also noted that billboards and posters that were part of the same campaign had an asterisk next to the advertised fare. Again, in violation of DOT rules, the small print stated that additional taxes, fees and conditions would apply, but did not disclose how much those taxes and fees would be.
With the exception of per-passenger, government-imposed taxes and fees such as passenger facility charges, DOT rules require that airlines include the full price a traveler will pay — including any surcharges to be added by the carrier — when advertising fares. Beginning Jan. 24, 2012, air carriers will be required to include all government taxes and fees in advertised fares as well.
“Consumers have a right to know the full price they will be paying when they buy an airline ticket,” DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “We expect airlines to treat their passengers fairly, and we will take enforcement action when they violate our price advertising rules.”
A Spirit Airlines spokesperson told msnbc.com the carrier has no comment.
More stories you might like:
- DOT aims to shed light on airline fees
- DOT fines Orbitz $60,000 for deceptive advertising
- DOT wants more accessible airline websites, kiosks
Find more by Harriet Baskas on Stuck at The Airport.com and follow her on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
So, what did the additional taxes and fees raise the price of the $9 fare to? C'mon MSNBC- you guys can do better journalism than this!
They neglected to mention canceling flights when the plane only reaches 60% capacity leaving you to find your way from Orlando to your original destination of Ft Lauderdale unless of course you chose to rebook the following day IF seats are available, non-english speaking staffers who are rude and losing your luggage when they take it from you as you board because the overhead bins fill within the first 20 passengers that board ahead of you. And water costs $3 and you'd better have a visa/mc because they dont take cash.
No, actually, online reporter's can't do any better than this. Actual reporting would take time, effort, energy, asking difficult questions of real people. Today's reporter just hangs out in front of the computer reiterating and rephrasing what was found on another site, regurgitating pseudo-facts without giving any attention to the details needed by the public.
Unbelievable that the author is 'award-winning'. What might that award be?
Blue footed booby award?
What a crappy article, little or no information at all, almost as if the author wanted to slam Spirit.
These airlines are just continuing to hurt themselves- with this economy and things not looking better, more and more people are not flying and I say good for you. People in this country need to seriously protest increased costs by NOT using the services. I get that sometimes people have no choice but to fly but a lot of people won't change how they do things because of convienience or laziness but they are not too lazy to complain about it. The only way to stop inflation is to STOP BUYING THE PRODUCTS OR USING SERVICES. Remember- every money-making company cannot make money or increase prices when no one is buying. Americans are really bad at doing this and have a million reasons why they cannot sacrafice or stop using a service or buying a product. We can have alot more power over things if we can just learn how to sacrafice and make changes.
Not flying won't solve anything, because airlines simply reduce flights to compensate. If consumers really want to promote change (bigger seats, no-fee luggage, free meals, etc.), then buy tickets from airlines that give it to you. If you buy the cheapest fare you can find, you're rewarding the airline that can cut services to the bone.
Not flying WILL solve it. If people had the cojones to *really* want change, they'd take proper action. Not sit around parks whining about "I want it, and I want it free!" or hanging around message boards bitching about this and that. Stop patronizing a business, they disappear.
This isn't news to me. I had never flown to NY and those $9 deals sounded great, I think by the time taxes etc. are added, it's closer to $75 or so each way. It didn't become such a good deal anymore after factoring hotel room costs, so my dream of going to NY never came true. Cruise lines such as Discovery are known to do this as well. I see billboard ads for the one day cruise to the Bahamas from Discovery cruiseline being advertised at $39.99 and then it ends up being a lot more when you try to purchase the ticket, about $80 or so. I am not surprised.
my son just flew to florida from new jersey for $160.00 with hs wife and 2 children. that sure seems cheap to me. i dont care that they left off the taxes, its still less than any other airline.
Spirit is one of the lousiest excuses for an airline in the entire industry. They surcharge for everything. Not just checked bags, but carry-ons to. Want a glass of water? That costs to. To make matters worse their "customer service" agents are downright rude and surly. What a crap "airline".
I just bought a RT ticket from Florida to Chicago. It was advertised at $79/ea way. By the time I bought the luggage and seat assignment the price was $303. I know I didn't have to by the seat but I didn't want to end up in the last row. Not such a great deal...
They charge to print out your boarding pass as well. Avoid this clunker at all costs.
Spirit can be a good deal. I fly them from San Jose Costa Rica to Fort Lauderdale a lot. I get a $9 fare because I belong to the $9 club for $35 year. Still there are fuel surcharges and taxes, so more like $90 each way. To get that rate I have to fly out at 1:30 in the morning. Still cheap. Now if you want to bring a carry on or check a bag or pick a seat, price heads to $!50 each way. So very misleading but if you commute on our own money and have no luggage, it is cheap.
Spirit is a poor excuse for an airline. They and Ryanair are peas in a pod. It is all about cheap and profitable. That is a recipe for trouble as shortcuts, if not already a risk they are willing to take, will eventually follow and then God forbid if they have some sort of anomaly. I have no idea how safe their equipment is but their go to market strategy doesn't make me feel comfortable at all. I would try to persuade anyone I know or care about to reconsider if they chose Spirit.
I would not wish this "airline" on my worst enemy. Well yes my worst enemy but no one else.
Lol Thermen i agree.. I went to Vegas a few weeks back and got an advertisement for 29 dollars each way, went to book for Sunday and they blacked out the day and then when i called to book my flight they said they only had 3 seats on the plane and sent out 10s of thousands of adverts for those 3 seats, sorry charlie but be quicker next time.. They wanted to charge me upwards of 350 and that's not including my carry on luggage that could only be the size of a small purse I would have had to checked my bag for an additional 75 dollars not including the in-flight menu and it was 5 dollars for a 4oz water..
I went with southwest for around 200 bucks and i got x2 peanuts and a drink for free.. :) and had a wonderful time in Vegas!
this is just the tip of the iceburg. Thousands upon thousands of Companies worldwide practice the same price gougging- let the consumer nibble on the bait, then once he/she bites down they sink the Hook in you good. For hidden or follow up charges add-on to the Original measily $5 bill. What a rip off. Now the Total bill is a few hundred dollars. Nothing is what it seems. Can yu hit the slow curve ball? Its not easy. A good example is if and when yu go to rent a vehicle. The original cost of renting a car could be anywhere in the range of $25 to $75. However, once you look at the Final total cost of the rental due to the must have add-ons, the bill could go well over $300.
Despite Spirits crappy seats, which I understand are rated the worst in the airline industry usually they are the lowest priced airline between Detroit & Tampa. When the $9 fees are available and you have to grab them fast!! I get r/t for $58 inc. tax & fees. In addition I pay the extra $10 each way to get a researved seat I have no checked bags..for $78 r/t non-stop you can't beat it. VS. Delta's $250+.
I once made the mistake of flying this "airline" from Tampa to Detroit. The ticket agent was an old queen with an arrogant attitude. I complained to their management about the rude treatment, it fell on deaf ears. This "airline" has many times more complaints to the FAA than much bigger airlines such as Southwest. I can see why.
I purchased a ticket from this stupid airline and I paid $270, but do to unforseen circumstances I can't use the ticket for the dates that I had reserved for. I tried to work with them, but to no avail, instead they penalize me and gave me $10.76 credit. According to their website you can get $10/person credit, but they told me that you only get this if you cancel online, but if you do it over the phone you get less than that ---- what a ripped off. This is another false advertisement by spirit airlines. DO NOT do business with this airline they will rob you blind!!!
There are alot of problem airlines and some ok. What airline, a while back, tried to charge tyo use a restroom? I would have relieved myself in a cup and handed it to the attendent.
A $50,000 fine to a company like Spirit is chump change. How about a $5,000,000 fine. Now that might get the CEO's attention.
Making the airlines include all 'government taxes and fees' in their ads doesn't guarantee a traveler knows how much he's paying for a ticket. How 'bout baggage fees back and forth? Changes the fare considerably.
Most airlines play the same price game, and most travel sites have you two or more clicks into a potential purchase before you get to the real bottom line.
This kind of phony marketing is widespread and it's really not appreciated by the buying public.
So, what else is new?
Dont't forget they charge you $45 for carry on in the overhead (just make sure it can fit under the seat in front of you and it is $0), $5-$15 to choose where you sit and water is $5 as well. Oakland to Las Vegas was still less than $80 round trip and I had great seats.
Try driving there for that much and in 1.5 hours!
Another thing about Spirit. They are the only airline I know of that has reduced the checked bag weight to 40 lbs., from the industry standard of 50 lbs. Exceed that by even one pound and you're subject to a $50 fee.
Who are these people who are complaining? The Asterisk Police???
thrombyair.com/index.php/2011/11/asterisk-police/