# Spirit Airlines right to charge for carry-on luggage and Sen Schumer (D-NY) is a loon **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 19, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626 "2010-04-19T14:36:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/81 "2010-04-19T18:46:35Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > The government should not be getting into how businesses price their products. Spirit is not a monopoly whose pricing should be regulated. Consumers can choose to continue to fly on Spirit or choose a competing carrier. > > What next, congress passing laws to standardize pricing on fast food combo meals to keep it simple? Looks like someone’s too young to remember the Civil Aeronautics Board! ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/82 "2010-04-19T18:53:57Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Sorry, misunderstood your intentions of your statement. > > If a consumer doesn’t like how a certain company does business (as long as the company isn’t breaking any laws) they should take their business elsewhere, not expect the government to come fix it for them. Well, that seems a little circular. If I did support legislating against this fee breakdown on the grounds that it led to deceptive advertising and enough legislators agreed with me, then it would become against the law, wouldn’t it? Taking your statement at face value if it already was against the law you would be fine with it. But I doubt that is true - you seem to be against creating the law, why would you be for the law if it was already created? At some point that must have been true for things that are blatantly fraud but weren’t at the time illegal. Legislators would have looked at the scenario, decided that it was reprehensible that it was allowed, and passed legislation against it. A blanket statement like “if you don’t like how a certain company does business you shouldn’t expect the government to come fix it” shouldn’t apply in these scenarios. It should be handled on a case by case basis, which is why I can’t agree with that statement as written. Basically the statement seems to say if it isn’t already against the law, it shouldn’t ever be made against the law. I would argue that the actual text of the laws and their implications should be scrutinized, not simply their current existence or lack thereof. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/83 "2010-04-19T19:02:46Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > Bottom line: If they want to be able to apply those rules in the free market and risk driving away their paying customers, so be it. For Schumer to attempt to circumvent the free market results with a tax ploy is yet another example of why we need new leadership in Washington. I don’t see how this is a ploy to circumvent anything. Spirit wants to break up the ticket cost. Previously the entire ticket cost was subject to a tax that Spirit had to collect. Now only a portion of it is. Spirit is still free to break up the ticket cost under Schumer’s desired plan, they just can’t avoid collecting taxes on the entire price. If anything Schumer’s actions preserve the status quo - without them full taxation will move to partial taxation. Just to understand you, right now a $250 ticket is taxed at a certain rate. Lets say they now split this up into a $200 ticket and a $50 baggage fee. You feel strongly enough that the tax should now only apply to the $200 to consider this an example of why we need new leadership in Washington? I mean, you may be against the tax in general, but to my mind that would be a separate issue. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/84 "2010-04-19T19:32:37Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > Just to understand you, right now a $250 ticket is taxed at a certain rate. Lets say they now split this up into a $200 ticket and a $50 baggage fee. You feel strongly enough that the tax should now only apply to the $200 to consider this an example of why we need new leadership in Washington? > > I mean, you may be against the tax in general, but to my mind that would be a separate issue. Maybe I misunderstood Spirit’s fee program, but I thought it was a surcharge on top of the ticket fare for people with carry-on bags that required overhead bin storage (similar to what is being charged by many airlines today for checked bags). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/85 "2010-04-19T20:08:36Z")
It is, but that’s irrelevant. You can’t fit anything larger than a purse into the space under an economy class seat, even if you haven’t got feet. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/86 "2010-04-19T20:14:05Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > So companies should only be subject to congressional or regulatory scrutiny when no laws have been broken? That makes it rather hard for the government to decide whether there is a need for a new law. Whoops, I misphrased this. I should have said, So companies should be **exempt from** congressional or regulatory scrutiny when no laws have been broken? That makes it rather hard for the government to decide whether there is a need for a new law. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/87 "2010-04-19T20:32:36Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > Maybe I misunderstood Spirit’s fee program, but I thought it was a surcharge on top of the ticket fare for people with carry-on bags that required overhead bin storage (similar to what is being charged by many airlines today for checked bags). It is a fee that will only be charged to people who bring carry on luggage that does not fit under the seat. Currently this is included in the regular price of a ticket, so they will be breaking it out. One of the claims the airlines are making is that they are charging people for what they actually use, so presumably the regular ticket price will decrease (unless this is a simple rate hike in disguise, which is not something I’m ruling out either). ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/88 "2010-04-19T20:41:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It is, but that’s irrelevant. You can’t fit anything larger than a purse into the space under an economy class seat, even if you haven’t got feet. Right. In essence the Treasury has declared carry on luggage a “non-essential” item, apparently making it not subject to the tax, meaning if it is broken out the tax wouldn’t apply. Schumer apparently disagrees with this classification and no doubt wants it to go back to being “essential” and subject to the tax. I’m inclined to agree with his categorization over the Treasury classification as it stretches credibility to suggest people can travel for multiple days with little more than a purse. As a separate issue since I think having any luggage at all outside of stuff that fits under the seat is essential for long distance travel Spirit is being dishonest when they advertise prices which are only appropriate if you had no luggage whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/89 "2010-04-19T20:43:50Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > so presumably the regular ticket price will decrease (unless this is a simple rate hike in disguise, which is not something I’m ruling out either). Per one of the other poster’s above, Spirit is claiming that their average base fare will decrease by $40, when this policy goes into effect in August 2010. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/90 "2010-04-19T22:18:22Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Per one of the other poster’s above, Spirit is claiming that their average base fare will decrease by $40, when this policy goes into effect in August 2010. Yea, right…I’m sure this was a PR statement made only after the stink hit the fan. Even if it does happen, it will be a relatively short lived reduction. IMHO, this was never intended to reflect a split out of the ticket price, but to be an add-on revenue producer as the paying for checked bags program is now. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626/91 "2010-04-20T04:29:03Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Except in this case he’s trying to fix a current loophole that encourages one type of fee structure over another. If his law is passed, federal taxes will have less of an effect on the fee structure, not more. the only hole this equation is Schumer. The tax on luggage would not affect the pricing structure at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirit-airlines-right-to-charge-for-carry-on-luggage-and-sen-schumer-d-ny-is-a-loon/536626.md?page=4)