‘Spirited’ response to new airline rules no surprise

If followers of airline carriers had to guess which one would be most outraged over what some are calling the "no surprise" new rules, they might guess Spirit. And they would be right.

"Airport carrier Spirit Airlines is railing against a new federal requirement to include taxes and certain fees in advertised fares, delivering an attack on the rule to anyone buying a ticket on its website," writes the Press of Atlantic City.

 "Spirit Airlines isn’t happy with the new airline price advertising rule. The big ‘Warning!’ sign popping up on the carrier’s website makes that pretty clear," says CNN.

The message: "New government regulations require us to HIDE taxes in your fares. This is not consumer friendly or in your best interest. It’s wrong and you shouldn’t stand for it."

The rule, which requires airlines to include per-passenger taxes and fees into the advertised fare, went into effect this month. It was part of a new package of Department of Transportation airline rules that the DOT says will help protect passengers.

Before the rulings, airlines could advertise the base fare or show it on the first screen of online fare results. The airlines then could add taxes and fees later in the shopping process.

Spirit’s online message encourages customers to contact lawmakers to oppose the rule.

Spirit’s message to customers is a "deliberate attempt to deceive the flying public," charged US Sen. Barbara Boxer of California in a letter to Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza. She urged him to take the warning off the airline’s website and clarify its message to consumers.

Spirit saw it differently.

"We would normally expect Senators to encourage (First) Amendment protection," said a spokeswoman for Spirit in an email.

 "Our main objection … is that there is no justification for treating air travel differently from just about everything else that consumers purchase, i.e. they pay for the price of goods and services and then pay tax. And that’s how everything is advertised, as the price of the item separately from the tax on that price," Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King told CNN.

The Business Travel Coalition, a group advocating for transparency, calls Spirit’s message "a disgraceful lie" employing "over-the-top fear tactics."

The biggest change under the new rules is that published airfares must include all taxes and fees.

"The idea is that consumers looking for the lowest airfare won’t be misled by super-low prices that increase exponentially after fees and taxes are added on," said the Los Angeles Times.

The rule applies to airlines, ticket agents and online travel booking sites like Expedia, Orbitz and others. Kayak, however, already publishes the total cost of airfares on its site, according to the Times.

BookingBuddy explains the new rules this way:

"Fares will appear to be $20-$40 higher while you are searching for domestic travel, but you shouldn’t see that surprise bump from taxes and fees before you book."

In other words, the taxes and fees that used to be added on at the end of a transaction will now be posted up front.

Why does Spirit object? It’s had a history of run-ins with the government.

Just one example: Spirit last year was fined $50,000 by the DOT for deceptive pricing when it advertised $9 tickets from L.A. to Las Vegas. The ticket price was closer to $35. Spirit said the ads were not widespread and that the incident was a mistake.

Other new airlines rules that are now in effect:

–All baggage fees, which aren’t included in airfares, must be disclosed. (Airlines that haven’t already had a separate online Web page listing their baggage fees are doing so.)

—Passengers will be able to hold a reservation for 24 hours without having to pay for it.

— Passengers will be able to change a flight within 24 hours without penalty (some airlines and online booking companies already had such policies).

–Airlines won’t be able to raise ticket prices after the ticket has been purchased.

By David Wilkening