by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:25 AM ET, Fri August 25, 2023
Spirit Airlines agreed to pay up to $8.25 million to settle
a lawsuit brought by passengers deceived by carry-on bag fees.
According to Reuters.com,
the class-action lawsuit was filed by passengers against the low-cost carrier who
claimed they were hit with additional carry-on bag fees when they booked their
tickets through third-party websites, such as Expedia, Travelocity, CheapOair
and more.
Lawyers representing passengers impacted by Spirit’s
deceptive fees between August 2011 and May 2017 asked the Brooklyn federal
court judge hearing the case to approve the proposed settlement deal, saying it
“represents a fair compromise.”
Travelers eligible for payments as part of the settlement will
be refunded up to 75 percent of their fees, but the total could be less “depending
on the total amount of refunds sought by all class members.”
The documents revealed in court also showed that the $8.25
million maximum payout would include attorneys' fees.
Spirit has also been in the news recently after reports that
improper redactions in a lawsuit exposed that JetBlue plans to raise
airfare prices on the low-cost carrier’s flights following the successful
completion of the merger.
According to Law360.com (paid account required), an
improperly redacted lawsuit by consumers challenging the $3.8
billion deal between JetBlue and Spirit showed that prices for passengers
flying with the low-cost carrier could jump by as much as 40 percent.
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