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Spirit Airlines will raise checked baggage fees for the holidays

Spirit Airlines has made something of a hobby of courting public ill will, and now Spirit is tacking on an extra surcharge on top of its usual checked baggage fees for passengers traveling December 18 to January 5.

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Lynne Sladky/AP/File
A Spirit Airlines airplane sits on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Spirit Airlines has made something of a hobby of courting public ill will, culminating in its recent campaign to reward customers who write hate mail on their site. But the airlines' recent move to increase baggage charges during the holiday period leaves it looking more like Ebenezer Scrooge than ever.

That's right, Spirit is tacking on an extra $2 surcharge on top of its usual checked baggage fees for passengers traveling December 18 to January 5. This means baggage charges will roughly increase from $40 to $42. Spirit justified its increased charges by saying, "Winter is coming and that means holidays, which means more people than ever will be traveling with Spirit to visit their loved ones. To make sure we have room for everyone's bags, we're encouraging customers to pack a bit lighter."

But adding a fee isn't an encouragement, it's a punishment, made even more difficult to swallow by a recent article in the LA Times which reports that airline profits are up 64% and that checked luggage fees generated $900 million in the second quarter of 2014. Essentially, Spirit has figured out a way to charge travelers for needing warmer clothes and bringing gifts to their loved ones. Stay tuned for an announcement on upcoming smiling and excess breathing taxes.

What do you think, readers? Will this make you less likely to fly Spirit? 

Paula Kerrigan is the associate travel editor for Dealnews.com, where this article first appeared: http://dealnews.com/features/Spirit-Airlines-Will-Raise-Checked-Baggage-Fee-for-the-Holidays/1156189.html

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