Summary
- A passenger is suing Frontier Airlines over being charged an extra $100 for an oversized carry-on bag, claiming it fit inside the airline’s size and weight limits.
- The lawsuit accuses Frontier Airlines of fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of contract, alleging that their fare and baggage policies deceive passengers into paying more.
- The plaintiff claims that Frontier Airlines intentionally implements policies to generate extra revenue from passengers and that their advertisements showing low fares are misleading.
A Florida-based passenger is suing the ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Frontier Airliners over the extra amount that the passenger needed to pay for a carry-on bag just before boarding a flight. The passenger was charged an extra $100 for the oversized carry-on bag, which the airline staff couldn’t fit within the bag sizer. The passenger alleges that the bag was inside the airline’s published size and weight limits and that the bag sizer available on the gate was smaller than it must have been.
The US District Court of Florida issued a summons to the airline. The passenger, Amira Hamad, is searching for a $100 refund of the bags fee, $10,000 for every alleged violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and $100 million in punitive damages.
Alleged fraudulent misrepresentation
The airline is accused of fraudulent misrepresentation and a breach of contract under Florida common law. In line with the disgruntled passenger, the airline’s fare and baggage policies are deceiving for passengers who’re forced to pay more for nearly all the pieces on top of the air ticket.
Photo: Denver International Airport
Frontier’s luggage and associated fee structure is their way of taking more out of consumers. Passengers with low-cost air tickets find yourself paying lots more in various fees, with the full expenditure being corresponding to the airfare of competitor airlines.
The category motion lawsuit
Amira Hamad took a Frontier Airlines flight in May, where she needed to pay an additional fee for her personal carry-on item just before boarding the aircraft. The passenger filed the category motion lawsuit on June 29 on the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The case number (6:2023cv01209) represents Hamad v. Frontier Airlines, Inc.
The case accuses Frontier Airlines of violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and breaching Florida’s laws regarding misleading promoting. The quantity paid by Hamad was a transparent representation of the full cost of the flight. Nevertheless, the bag unexpectedly incurred a fee which resulted in a higher-than-presented total fare. In line with the case filing,
Due to Frontier’s representations, the plaintiff believed that the ticket she purchased would get her from points A-to-B and B-to-A for the advertised price. Nevertheless, Hamad needed to pay additional unanticipated fees, reminiscent of a high baggage fee. Frontier also represented to Hamad that she would have the option to suit a 14″ H x 18″ W x 8″ D personal item within the bag sizer, but when the plaintiff was on the airport, the bag sizer was smaller than advertised.
Frontier’s baggage policies suggest that each one passengers are allowed to hold one personal item onboard, with dimensions not exceeding 18 inches (45.7 cm) in length, 8 inches (20.3 cm) in width, and 14 inches (35.5 cm) in height.
Photo: Don Mammoser | Shutterstock
The plaintiff alleges that the airlines’ policies are intentionally put in place to generate extra revenue from passengers. Moreover, the advertisements showing the bottom fares are false when passengers find yourself paying a comparable amount in fees. The gate employees are alleged to be financially incentivized by the airline. The fees are broken into little pieces and checkpoints to bring down the otherwise standard fare that’s comparable with the industry.
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