Frontier, United, Spirit airlines face class actions as American sues ticket sellers

Airlines class action lawsuits overview: 

• Who: Consumers recently filed class action lawsuits involving Frontier Airlines, United Airlines and Spirit Airlines, while American Airlines recently filed a pair of lawsuits against ticket sellers. 
• Why: The complaints involve claims of false advertising, fraudulent charges, website inaccessibility, hidden bag fees and unauthorized ticket sales.
• Where: The lawsuits were filed in Texas, Florida, Colorado, Illinois and New York federal courts.

Consumers recently filed a number of class action lawsuits involving major U.S airlines, including Frontier Airlines, United Airlines and Spirit Airlines. 

The class actions involve claims of false advertising, fraudulent charges, website inaccessibility and hidden bag fees. 

Additionally, American Airlines filed a pair of lawsuits over alleged unauthorized ticket sales. 

Frontier Airlines advertises misleading fares, sold inoperable ‘All You Can Fly Pass,’ class actions say

A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Frontier Airlines in July over claims the company misled consumers into believing they were purchasing tickets for a lower price than reality and failed to be upfront about its bag fees. 

Frontier has been accused of not clearly defining the fee structure for personal items, checked and carry-on baggage at the time of purchase. 

“Frontier’s bait-and-switch and ‘gotcha’ tactics are designed to confuse, trick and trap consumers to the public’s detriment,” the Frontier class action states. 

The consumer behind the class action lawsuit argues Frontier’s fee structure is even more unclear when a purchase is made with a third-party vendor. 

In other Frontier news, a consumer filed a separate class action lawsuit against the airline last month, arguing it falsely advertises its All You Can Fly Pass will allow a traveler to fly as much as they want using a single ticket. 

The consumer behind the complaint argues individuals who purchase Frontier’s All You Can Fly Pass are unable to use it because the airline’s booking system becomes inoperable when a passholder attempts to book a flight. 

“As with many things that sound too good to be true, they usually are,” the Frontier class action states.

Frontier is accused of not granting refunds for the pass, which the plaintiff purchased for $599 in November 2022, despite the failed booking attempts.

Blind woman voluntarily drops claims United Airlines website not fully accessible to blind, visually impaired

A legally blind woman voluntarily dropped a class action lawsuit against United Airlines in which she argued the airline failed to make its website fully accessible to and independently usable by individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

The woman claimed United violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by allegedly denying individuals who are blind or visually impaired with equal access to the goods and services offered on its website. 

The decision to permanently dismiss the class action lawsuit with prejudice followed a stipulated dismissal filing made the same day the woman was set to respond to United’s attempt to toss the claim. 

United argued it was protected from the claims by plain language within the ADA and it would make more sense for its conduct to be governed by the Air Carrier Access Act, which the airline alleged does not include a private right of action. 

Spirit to pay $8.25M to end claims it covertly charged hidden carry-on luggage luggage

Spirit Airlines agreed to pay $8.25 million to put an end to claims the airline secretly charged customers hidden fees for their carry-on luggage. 

Spirit passengers had accused the airline of violating contract law in the state of New York by allegedly failing to include fees it charged for carry-on luggage in its ticket prices. 

The airline will make a total cash payment that will cover as much as 75% of the amount in fees it charged to class members for their carry-on luggage, per the settlement. 

JetBlue, which plans to purchase Spirit for $3.8 billion, is also included in the class action settlement agreement. 

American Airlines claims sellers sold unauthorized airline tickets 

American Airlines filed a lawsuit against online travel agency Skiplagged last month over claims it sold American tickets without being an authorized agent for the airline. 

Skiplagged is accused of deceiving consumers and charging them more for American tickets than if they had simply booked directly with the airline or one of its authorized agents. 

“Skiplagged is not, and never has been, an authorized agent of American,” the lawsuit states. “It is a middle-man improperly inserting itself between American and flight consumers.”

American filed a similar complaint against Kiwi in July over claims the fare aggregator and ticket booker sold American tickets without being an authorized retailer of the airline. 

The airline argues Kiwi continued to sell tickets for American flights after American terminated an agreement between the two companies in 2020 due to Kiwi allegedly violating its terms. 

“Kiwi repeatedly violated the agreed terms of its agency agreement through similar abusive ticketing practices, and American terminated Kiwi’s authority to issue tickets on American’s behalf,” the Kiwi lawsuit states. 

The agreement between Kiwi and American was in effect from between 2018 and 2020, according to the complaint. 

Have you been affected by a recent airline-related class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

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