U.S. TRANSPORTATION SEC. LAHOOD - “I think it’s a bit outrageous that an airline is going to charge someone to carry on a bag and put it in the overhead,” LaHood told Christopher Elliott, National Geographic Traveler’s ombudsman, and Charlie Leocha, president of the Consumer Travel Alliance, for an interview published Thursday. “And I’ve told our people to try and figure out a way to mitigate that. I think it’s ridiculous.” - seattlepi.com
AGAINST - “None of the major carriers claim to be contemplating charges on carry-on bags, but there is no doubt they will be looking at how the scheme affects Spirit’s bottom line.” - SF Chronicle editorial
JUSTIFIED - “The personal item is free. And the bag will be $20 or $30, but your fare is down by $40 or more, so the tradeoff is great…You know, the people who are outraged at this, Neil, you know who they are? They’re the people who fly other airlines and are used to being charged $500 to $1,000 for their fare. And they say, I don’t want my airline to charge me for a carry-on, when I’m paying them $600 to get on the airplane.” - Spirit CEO on Fox
AUSSIE CARRIER CONSIDERS - “Tiger Airways has refused to rule out charging for carry-on luggage after US-based Spirit Airlines became the first to slug passengers for the privilege.” - The Australian
SENATOR CONDEMNS - Low-cost U.S. airline Spirit’s “absurd” move to charge for some carry-on luggage shows the need for legislation to force full disclosure of all such fees and charges, a U.S. Senator said …“This is getting absurd. What will the airlines think up next, a fee for reclining your seat?” said Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, lead author of a measure to require airline and travel websites to provide such information to travelers before they book their tickets. - China Post