Spirit Airlines Shrinks Its Carry-On Allowance Dimensions
Beginning April 4, 2017, Spirit Airlines is making it even harder to bring your bag on board for free. Whereas most travelers were aware of the low-cost carrier's strict baggage policy before, this new policy makes it even harder to get your personal item onto the plane without incurring an additional fee.
Currently, the carrier's Bare Fare ticket allows you to bring one personal item that measures 16 x 14 x 12 inches (40 x 35 x 30 cm) on board. As of April 4. 2017, however, those dimensions are shrinking a bit to 18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm).
As a reminder, that is measured as height x length x width, so while the maximum height of the personal bag is being increased by 2 inches, the maximum width of the personal item is being decreased by 4 inches.
As of now, this is the only baggage change in the works for Spirit. For travelers who are looking to get to their destination on a budget, Spirit is a great option, especially now that the carrier has TSA PreCheck — as long as you're aware of its tactics to nickel-and-dime you after your ticket has been purchased. Things like printing your boarding pass at the airport, checked baggage and more always cost more with Sprit. And with this new change to the personal item allowance, what's included in your ticket is being reduced even more.
If you're planning on flying with Spirit in the future — from April 4, 2017 and beyond — be sure to measure your personal item before heading to the airport to avoid incurring any additional fees.
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