EDITORIAL: Consumers can decide not to catch the fee-charging Spirit

Spirit Airline's plan to sandbag customers with a $45 fee for carry-ons has gotten quick attention in Congress. But air travelers themselves have the muscle to bag this added cost.

Spirit officials say that even after paying the new fee, customers will save money because the airline will simultaneously lower fares and checked-bag fees. Travelers will have to crunch the numbers for individual flights to determine if they would actually come out ahead - keeping in mind that some fees, like those to reserve an assigned seat, may be buried in the fine print. As Spirit officials point out, consumers are ultimately free to make their own choices. That includes the freedom to choose a different airline, the single most effective way to make their voices heard.

This fee-creep may actually be about taxes. Airlines pay a 7.5 percent federal tax on fares, but it isn't imposed on fees charged for nonessential services. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, carry-on bags are nonessential. So the new fee is better for Spirit's bottom line than a fare hike.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is proposing a federal law designating carry-ons essential, as a way to close that loophole. However, other airlines are already seeing Spirit's action as a business opportunity. At least five - American, Delta, JetBlue, United and US Airways - say they won't follow Spirit's lead.

So if you don't like money flying out of your wallet at every turn, there are alternatives. At least for now. hN