Spirit's Latest Fee: $5 For a Boarding Pass

Spirit Airlines doesn't yet charge a fee for passengers who want to sit down during their flight but that may be next. The low-fare carrier has just announced it will begin charging $5 for passengers who get their boarding passes at the airport.

Fliers can avoid the fee by checking in and printing their board passes online.

The new fee applies to all flights booked for travel on or after Nov. 1. However, Spirit says it will lower its fares on all nonstop flights by $5 on Nov. 1, thus providing a $5 bonus to passengers who print their own boarding passes.

Spirit said it surveyed its customers and found that 94% said they would favor lower fares in exchange for online check-in.

The low-cost carrier – which prefers to call itself an “ultra-low-cost carrier” – is best known for its $9 one-way promotional fares, but it's almost as well known for its extra fees.

Carry-on charge

The carrier recently became the only major airline to charge extra for carry-on bags. Most airlines charge for checked bags, as does Spirit, but Spirit goes them one better by charging $20 to $35 for a carry-on that won't fit under the seat.

The only free carry-on is a small bag or purse that will fit under the seat.

The airline justifies this by saying it keeps its base fares low by letting customers decide how much extra service they want to pay for.

“Imagine if you went to a restaurant and all the meals came with dessert,” said Ben Baldanza, Spirit's CEO. “That's great if you like dessert but, if you don't, you would prefer the option to pay less for the meal and not take the dessert.”