UPDATED: Spirit Airlines to charge for carry-on bags

You just knew this was coming, didn't you? Spirit Airlines, one of the most inventive and aggressive airlines in finding ancillary revenue from service fees, adopted a new policy charging up to $45 for a carry-on bag that doesn't fit under the seat in front of you. The fee applies to travel after Aug. 1 for tickets bought from today on.

UPDATE: The news media went wild with this story on Tuesday, to the point it was included in the evening network newscast I heard. Good additional information about the policy and what other airlines will or won't do was included in Inquirer beat reporter Linda Loyd's story this morning, found here.

There is no charge yet for carrying on a cane or coat, or if you're wearing clothes when boarding (perhaps that will be next, since clothing adds to weight, which causes an airplane to burn more fuel, which increases an airline's costs, which otherwise might require an increase in ticket prices, which would be unfair to all those who choose to wear clothes while traveling, right?)

Here's is detail of the rules from the Spirit Web site. At least one travel columnist, Chris Elliott, is not amused by the policy.