What happens if the bag doesn’t fit?

At Spirit, the policy says that you pay.

So when the couple in front of me got asked to check if their bag fit in Spirit’s test fixture, it was a problem when the wheels couldn’t make it.

The volume of the bag was smaller than what Spirit allows. It was narrower than it could have been, and the length was essentially within the limits. 

But because the wheels overhung by half an inch, the gate agent chose to follow the policy.

She pulled the couple aside, made them wait while everyone else boarded, and charged them $65.

For half an inch.

It’s understandable why airlines have these policies. They need a way to assure there’s room for everyone’s luggage.

And if you’re cynical about Spirit, you can say that the policies are there to make money (which is probably true).

But that doesn’t mean that the gate agent can’t have some compassion.

What’s the downside if she lets it slide?

 

Policies are generally put in place for a reason.

But the quickest way to assure a bad customer experience is referring them to the policy rather than having a humane interaction.

-Brandon