Spirit Airlines sued over passenger fees

A Florida lawsuit contends Spirit Airlines misled its customers by allegedly tacking a fee on ticket prices and implying it was a government mandate. The class-action suit filed last week by a Miami law firm contends the "passenger usage fees," added to ticket purchases were simply meant to bring in more revenue and were not required by Uncle Sam. "Spirit misleads consumers to believe that the (passenger usage fee) is an official government tax or fee when, in reality, the fee is nothing more than additional airfare because Spirit does not provide any bona fide service in exchange for the (fee)," the suit charged. The Miami Herald said the fees ranged from $8.99-$16.99 per ticket and applied to millions of passengers over the past four to six years. Spirit declined comment on the lawsuit.