Spirit Airlines Fee Challenged; India Ban
in Tiger Reserves
Published: August 10
Spirit Fee Challenged
Lots of travelers grouse
about Spirit Airlines’ ancillary fees, but one traveler is taking his
complaints to a higher set of ears — the federal courthouse.
Last week, the Florida
firm Podhurst Orseck, P.A., filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bryan Ray, a New Jersey
passenger who is contesting the legality of the carrier’s passenger usage fee.
According to the filing in the United States District Court for the Southern
District of Florida, the plaintiff is seeking to “recover monetary damages,
restitution and injunctive relief” because of the airline’s “fraudulent,
deceptive and unconscionable collection of a Passenger Usage Fee.”
“This is a way for
Spirit to make more profits without providing any goods or services in return,”
said Katherine Ezell, a partner with Podhurst Orseck. “It was deliberately
planned to deceive the public in the way that it is named and tucked in with
other viable fees.”
According to Misty
Pinson, an airline spokeswoman, the carrier adds the fee to reservations booked
on its Web site or over the phone. The charge on domestic and international
flights is $8.99 to $16.99 per customer, each way. The fee is waived on
purchases made at the airport ticket counter.
“Spirit believes the
claims are without merit,” Pinson said, “and intends to defend the case.”
Though the case is in
its early stage — the firm is awaiting Spirit’s response — Ezell said that
potentially 5 million to 20 million people could qualify for the class-action
suit. To qualify as a plaintiff, a traveler must have flown between 2008 and
2011; Spirit, however, levied the fee on and off during the four-year time
span, so not all travelers will be eligible. However, affected individuals
could recoup their initial outlay, a welcome payback for frequent fliers. “If one person has flown
100 times,” said Ezell, “they will get 100 payments of the fee.”
India’s Tiger Tourism Nixed
In an effort to protect
India’s big cats, the country’s Supreme Court has temporarily banned all
tourism activities in the core sections of tiger reserves nationwide. Buffer
and fringe areas, however, remain open. “This is in sync with
our national wildlife policy,” said Nuggehalli Jayasimha, director of India Humane
Society International. The animal activist said that the law simply extends a
ban prohibiting villagers from accessing these fragile habitats.
More than half the
world’s tiger population — an estimated 1,706 cats — lives in India. The
endangered animals inhabit the forests of 17 Indian states and nearly 40
reserves.
The ban falls during
monsoon season, when the parks are closed. Lawmakers will revisit the issue on
Aug. 22, when they could lift the ruling and ease in less stringent
regulations. “It’s really a good
thing,” said Josh Cohen, director and president of Wild Planet Adventures, an
international wildlife tour operator. “The goal is to keep the tigers living
and breeding. We all want that.”
Cohen expects that the
court will resolve the issue before the parks reopen in late October and early
November. As a backup, however, he has drafted alternative itineraries to
different wildlife parks in India, as well as a ban-free tiger reserve in
Nepal.
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