Airport ‘Exit Fees’ Class Action Lawsuits Target 4 Airlines

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Last week, four class action lawsuits were filed against four airlines over allegations they required passengers to pay unexpected “exit fees” before boarding flights at Miami International Airport.

These fees were not disclosed in the ticket contracts presented at the time of purchase, according to the exit fee class action lawsuits.

“Unlike common additional charges for baggage, seat upgrades, etc., the Exit Fee charges were not part of the terms and conditions of the contract of carriage between the Airline and its passengers,” one of the class action lawsuits states.

The contract reportedly included a notice that passengers may be required to pay a fee, if a tax, fee or charge is imposed by a governmental agency or other authority after the ticket was purchased, but the plaintiffs say that the exit fees they were charged were not related to a governmental fee increase.

The owners of Aruba Airlines, Insel Air, Avior Airlines and SBA Airlines are named as the defendants in their respective airport exit fee class action lawsuits.

“Despite the clear terms of its contract and the full payment of the tickets, the Airline conducted a program in which its ticket-holding travelers were required to pay such additional, extra-contractual Exit Fees at Airline’s sole U.S. departure airport, Miami International Airport (MIA), before being allowed to board their flights,” the Aruba Airlines exit fee class action lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs allege the exit fee program was in place at the time they purchased their airline tickets, but that the airlines failed to inform them about the exit fee, which can cost as much as $80. According to the Aruba Airlines class action lawsuit, the exit fees are disclosed on the airline’s website, but the website disclosure directly contradicts the contract between the airline and its passengers.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys suggest the exit fee program is a “bait and switch” scheme that requires travelers who have paid full price for their tickets to pay an additional, undisclosed fee to the airline. They believe the airlines should refund the exit fees to the affected consumers.

By filing the exit fee class action lawsuits, the plaintiffs seek to represent Classes of consumers who were charged an exit fee by any of the four airline defendants within the last five years.

The airline exit fee class action lawsuits assert claims for breach of contract and seek a refund for all of the allegedly improper exit fees charged to passengers.

The plaintiffs are represented by John Cody German of Cole Scott & Kissane PA, John G. Crabtree, Charles M. Auslander and Brian C. Tackenberg of Crabtree & Auslander, Brian Torres of Brian M. Torres PA, Jose L. Baloyra of Baloyra Law, and Milton Fuentes of M. Fuentes & Co.

The Airport Exit Fees Class Action Lawsuits are Saade v. Insel Air, Case No. 1:17-cv-22003, Pons v. Arubaanse Luchtvaart Maatschappu NV, Case No. 1:17-cv-22008, Cavalieri v. Avior Airlines CA, Case No. 1:17-cv-22010, and Laya, et al. v. Santa Barbara Airlines CA, Case No. 1:17-cv-22057, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.