[Travelandtourism] That's Ridiculous! A Fee to Print a Boarding Pass

[Peachtree Travel]

Here's the problem with Spirit Airlines' (www.spiritair.com) new $5 fee for 
printing a boarding pass, according to Dennis Tucker. Not everyone has 
access to a PC and printer when they're on the road.

"And if you're in a hotel somewhere and your flights change, how are you 
supposed to do that?" he asks.

Well, there's a silver lining for printer-less passengers. Until next year, 
they can use one of Spirit's airport kiosks to print their paperwork at no 
extra charge. After June 26, 2012, it'll cost $1.

But Tucker is essentially right -- if you don't have a PC, you'll have to 
pay.

New airline fees raise a lot of questions that tend to go unasked in the 
heat of the moment, and because stories like these typically get assigned to 
a summer intern. (I should know, I spent seven memorable summers interning 
at various news organizations.)

They include: Does it really cost $5 to print a boarding pass? Who benefits 
from the fee? And can it get any worse (or better, depending on your 
perspective)?

I've been tracking this particular fee since early June, when Spirit sent a 
poll to some of its passengers, asking if they wouldn't mind paying an extra 
$5 to print a boarding pass. Here's how Spirit asked its passengers to vote.

"In our efforts to lower fares, customers have asked us if they can save by 
checking in online. After consideration, we wanted to ask your preference. 
Is your preference:

.I prefer only to use web check-in and lower my fare. This is similar to 
certain government processing initiatives that allow one channel for 
submission but retain efficiency.
.I don't mind paying higher fares by checking in online while subsidizing 
others who check in at the airport.
.I prefer to pay less for checking in online and let customers who check in 
at the airport pay for the convenience.
.I would rather just raise the federal debt ceiling and have taxpayers 
subsidize me for being lazy and not checking in online."
Answer four makes you chuckle, doesn't it?

I asked Barry Biffle, Spirit's chief marketing officer, about the survey. He 
told me the questions were written by Spirit personnel and reviewed by 
senior management.

"This is a data gathering process that helps shape our opinion of our 
customers' views on this subject," he says. "We believe the questions are 
worded in a way that accurately and factually reflects the economics of our 
business."

Except for the last one, maybe, about raising the federal debt ceiling. 
Biffle says the airline included it "for fun."

And the whole thing, it turns out, was a formality. Spirit's executives had 
all but made up their minds about this fee, which, if you couldn't already 
tell from the questions, they were touting as a "discount."

Right.

While a select few travelers may be able to take advantage of this so-called 
"discount," many more will have to pay up. Does it cost Spirit $5 to print a 
boarding pass? Of course not. It's mostly profit.

On balance, it's clear that Spirit will benefit from the new fee more than 
its passengers. Just look at Ryanair, with its out-of-control fees and 
soaring profits, for an idea of how this might help Spirit's bottom line. 
And if you think this is the end, think again. They said that when Spirit 
began charging for carry-on bags last year. But the fee stuck.

In an effort to protect the profits it collects from fees, Spirit also 
recently challenged some of the Transportation Department's new consumer 
protection rules, which would require airlines to clearly disclose the 
surcharges. Curiously, it mentioned nothing about its own earnings, instead 
arguing that more disclosure would "hamper our nation's economic recovery."

Seriously. Here's the press release.

Maybe it isn't really a question of whether this latest fee is ridiculous. 
Maybe Spirit's business model -- and others like it -- is ridiculous.


Peachtree Travel
Independent Travel Consultant

(phone) 888-389-2723

(website: http://www.peachtreetravel.net.

Email: reservations at peachtreetravel.net