Spirit Airlines adheres to new DOT rules, adds $2 one-way fee to tickets

Spirit Airlines acted swiftly in adhering to the new regulations by the U.S. Department of Transportation and stopped publicizing fares on its website.

Before the new rules took effect from January 26 this year, Spirit Airlines had been regularly touting fares as low as $9 one-way, which otherwise were somewhat steep. After DOT rules were implemented, the cheap fares being published on the airline’s website have since disappeared.

The new DOT rules makes it mandatory for all airlines operated within the United States to include all taxes and mandatory fees in the airfare itself. The airlines have also been asked to hold fares for 24 hours after booking without penalty.

The Miramar based low cost carrier Spirit Airlines had filed a lawsuit last summer to challenge the new rule the DOT has passed seeking more protections for travelers by the airlines. Besides, other airlines had also joined this fight along with Spirit Airlines.

Spirit Airlines in a statement said that it is adding a $2 one-way fee to tickets purchased on its website. The airline says that this additional fee is to cover “the unintended consequences of government regulations” which came into effect recently.