Spirit Airlines Raises Booking Fees, Except in 1 Case

Spirit Airlines has suddenly hiked its booking fees for most tickets, in some cases by a lot. While this fee is nearly impossible to avoid, there’s a way to get around it.

Let’s see what the Spirit booking fee hike is about.

Spirit’s Passenger Usage Charge, Explained

Spirit Airlines flights have just become more expensive. As reported by AwardWallet, the ultra-low-cost carrier has increased the so-called “Passenger Usage Charge” to a range between $8.99 and $27.99. That’s an increase of 125% for the lowest fee, which was previously $3.99.

The fee is added to every online booking, on every fare type, whether on Spirit’s website or mobile app (iOS, Android). It is also added to all tickets bought at airports outside the U.S.

It’s charged per segment, which means you’ll pay for each flight. Let’s say you’re flying round-trip on Spirit with a connection each way, and that the booking fee for each flight is the highest possible, at $27.99. Multiplied by 4, that’s a hefty $111.96, and that’s only for 1 traveler. If you are flying with a family, that adds up quickly.

However, you don’t have to pay it.

Avoiding the Passenger Usage Charge is annoying and difficult, but it can be done. The only way is to book Spirit flights at an airport ticket counter in the U.S. (Spirit serves airports in Caribbean, Central American, and South American nations, and the fee still applies when booking there.)

As explained by Award Wallet, fees are non-taxable only if passengers have a way to avoid them, and that’s why Spirit offers the possibility of not paying the Passenger Usage Charge if you book at the airport.

The catch is that almost nobody does that, unless they live close to a U.S. airport served by Spirit or can book a Spirit flight while there for a different flight. Of course, you have to be there while the Spirit ticket counter is open. Spirit lists its airport ticket counter opening hours and locations on the web, and since some have very limited hours, it pays to check beforehand.

As for why Spirit is doing this, it’s because it can keep all the money collected on avoidable fees, which aren’t subject to the 7.5% federal tax on airfares. After emerging from bankruptcy protection and adopting a business model that moves away from its strict no-frills roots, Spirit is looking for ways to make more money. It hasn’t, after all, reported a profit since 2020.

Final Thoughts

There’s a very limited chance you can avoid Spirit’s newly raised booking fee, aka Passenger Usage Charge. You can circumvent it only by booking in person at a U.S. airport, which very few passengers do.