Spirit Airlines agreed to pay $8.25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its bag fees, attorneys for the plaintiffs disclosed Wednesday. A group of first-time Spirit flyers who booked thei…

Spirit Airlines agreed to pay $8.25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its bag fees, attorneys for the plaintiffs disclosed Wednesday.

A group of first-time Spirit flyers who booked their trips through third-party travel sites between 2011-17 sued the airline in 2017, claiming that it did not disclose its bag fees and other extra fees appropriately.

The flyers said the budget airline’s surprise carry-on bag fees were intentionally hidden in an effort to gain profit.

  • jballs@lemmy.world
    111·
    1 year ago

    Members of the class will receive as much as 75 percent of the fees returned to them, though the payout may be lower depending on how many people claim refunds from the suit.

    A fine that allows a company to profit off shitty business practices is not a deterrent, it’s just the cost of doing business. If people were receiving twice what they were charged in fees, then there might be actual change.

    • spongebue@lemmy.world
      61·
      1 year ago

      Eh, it’s a civil settlement. It was never supposed to be a punishment (it wasn’t brought by the government) and pushing for something higher brings its own risks - including the possibility that the legal costs of chasing outweighs what would be paid.

      It’s not exactly a secret that Spirit charges for bags. While some people are only getting refunded a portion of what they unexpectedly paid, many are getting an unexpected partial refund of a fee they planned on paying