Airline: large carry-on luggage will cost you

    Spirit Airlines, which flies from Atlantic City Airport, will now charge passengers for full-size carry-on luggage. The up to $45 fee may encourage passengers from cramming their belongings into the overhead bin to avoid checked-baggage fees.

    By Meggan Kole

    One airline’s bold new fee may unclog the aisle.

    Spirit Airlines, which flies from Atlantic City Airport, will now charge passengers for full-size carry-on luggage. The up to $45 fee may encourage passengers from cramming their belongings into the overhead bin to avoid checked-baggage fees.

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    The airline, which flies mostly vacation destinations, plans to encourage checked baggage by making it a cheaper option.

    Terry Trippler is a passenger advocate. He says consumers won’t be happy at first. But less luggage means faster boarding. Trippler says other airlines will be watching.

    Trippler: “I think when you sit on an airplane and watch people board and you oftentimes wonder, ‘where do they think their going to put that?’ It’s very irritating for people to stand there and wait for people to get all that luggage down off the rack.”

    Passengers can still carry one personal item, a purse or a laptop at no charge. The fees will start for travel after August 1.

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