Spirit Airlines to pay $8.25 million to customers hit with surprise bag fees at the airport

• Spirit Airlines agreed to pay back customers who were hit with surprise bag fees.
• The settlement is the culmination of a six-year class action lawsuit against the company.

Traveling cheap usually includes hidden costs — now, plaintiffs who previously flew on Spirit Airlines and were surprised with bag fees at the gate will be paid settlements.

After a six-year-long class action lawsuit, Spirit agreed to pay up to $8.25 million for legal fees and compensation to impacted passengers who flew from 2011 to 2017, according to a motion filed Wednesday by the plaintiffs' lawyers.

The plaintiffs brought the suit after they booked Spirit tickets on third-party booking sites like Expedia and were charged additional fees for carry-on bags at the airport, per the suit.

Per Spirit's baggage guidelines, only a small personal item that fits under a seat is included in the ticket price. A carry-on price changes depending on when and where you travel, but at the gate can run passengers $99 and up, according to reporting from Forbes.

The lawyers asked the judge to approve the motion, saying it would represent a "fair compromise" for the plaintiffs.

Spirit is consistently ranked one of the worst airlines in the United States, and the settlement is not the only issue it has had this summer.

Last week, one woman said the airline confused her eczema for mpox and accused them of anti-gay discrimination. In mid-August, another woman alleged she was stuck on the tarmac on a Spirit flight for seven hours without explanation.

Spirit and the plaintiffs' lawyers did not respond immediately to Insider's request for comment.