Spirit touts ultra-low cost model in new publicity campaign

Nothing comes for free.

That's the message from Spirit Airlines, which on Wednesday unveiled a publicity campaign aimed at winning support for its "ultra low cost" business model.

Spirit, of course, is known for its no-frills service in which it offers discount fares but charges extra for nearly everything else. The airline even charges for carry-on bags that need to be stored in overhead bins

But Spirit says airlines that don't do that end up passing on unnecessary costs to passengers. When an airline ticket includes free "perks" like food and baggage, some passengers end up paying for items or services that they don't need, Spirit says.

To help underscore its point, Spirit unveiled unbundlers.com, an advertorial website featuring the TV-style exploits of "a vigilante lawyer team called 'The Unbundlers' dedicated to getting air travelers their money back."

"It's a fun way to point out a serious issue," Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza says in a statement. "At Spirit we pride ourselves on being very upfront and honest about what you get – and what you don't – when you purchase tickets on our airline. All airlines should be as transparent with their customers and should let them know exactly what they're paying for."

"When airlines tell their customers the item or service is free, it just isn't true," he adds. "We feel air travelers should only have to pay for what they want or need – not be forced to pay for everything an airline may offer. We did the math on all those unused items and it adds up to billions of customer dollars."

To help back up that assertion, Spirit commissioned a survey to help it make its case. In a nationwide study that asked air travelers about their most recent flight, Spirit says many fliers skip free services that are included in the ticket prices of their rivals.

For example, Spirit's survey found 20% of fliers say they skipped the free snack offered on their last flight. Spirit does not offer free snacks, and used the survey results to claim the practice ultimately saves its customers money.

"It may seem small, but the costs for those 'free' snacks add up too," Spirit says in its statement. "Twenty percent of passengers skipped the complimentary snacks, but may have been charged up to $3.50 for each one. That's approximately $410 million of unused snacks that airlines benefited from by charging their customers in the price of their ticket."