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Spirit Airlines to charge $10 for second bag Miami Herald Wire Report
Starting Saturday, Spirit Airlines will penalize travelers checking a second suitcase by charging a $10 fee for the second bag.

Once known for its liberal baggage policies, the Fort Lauderdale-based carrier will now have the strictest among U.S. airlines.

The new rules allow just one free checked bag of 50 pounds. The second bag will be $10 and a third will be $100.

''It is a price increase on passengers -- even on people who already have tickets,'' Larry Rockiind of West Bloomfield, Mich., told the Detroit Free Press.

Rockiind, who flies to Florida four to five times a year on Spirit, said he plans to fly Northwest next time. Northwest, like other major carriers, allows two free checked bags of up to 50 pounds each.

Spirit spokeswoman Rebecca Rivera said the new policy ''is a great way to keep our fares low,'' and that's why the airline decided to do it.

Spirit has expanded rapidly in the past year, especially on its Caribbean routes from Fort Lauderdale this winter. In 2006, Spirit flew 4.96 million passengers.

''The planes are good and the stewardesses are funny,'' Rockiind said. ``But these changes tick me off.''