by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:30 PM ET, Thu November 5, 2015
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
Several air carriers-namely Frontier and Spirit airlines-are getting into the holiday spirit by increasing the prices of their bag fees.
And when I say holiday spirit, I mean Ebenezer Scrooge style, sans the good-hearted revelation.
According to the official website of Frontier Airlines, passengers will be forced to endure "temporary price increases" that will be applied to those traveling from Nov 19 through Jan. 5, 2016, otherwise known as the prime holiday travel season.
The Frontier website offers a complete explanation, "Carry-on bag prices increase by $5 at booking and up to 24 hours before departure, $10 at Web Check-in, and $5 at the Airport kiosk or ticket counter; 1st Checked Bag increases by $5 at Flyfrontier.com, at booking and up to 24 hours before departure and increases by $10 at call center, web check-in, and airport ticket counter or self-service kiosk. 2nd Checked Bag prices increase by $10."
This isn't the only time of year Frontier is taking advantage of increased traffic, though, as the company is also raising rates during Spring Break vacations (Feb. 11 to April 4) and summer vacations (June 9 to Aug. 16.)
Frontier is not the first to pull a stunt like this, either, as Spirit Airlines started adding the temporary price increases last year. Spirit's website shows that in 2015, customers will be charged an extra $2 for the first checked bag for flights booked between Dec. 16 and Jan. 4.
This is a perfect example of the complaints about an increasing list of individual fees levied against the airlines by customers. At the same time, a recent report indicated that the airline industry earned $38.1 billion in revenue from baggage fees in 2014.
Bah humbug, airlines.
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