Spirit Air's Carry On Fees Begin

Spirit Airlines hotly debated fee to stow a carry on bag has gone into effect.

The low-cost carrier that flies out of Atlantic City International Airport announced back in April they would begin charging passengers between $30 and $45 to bring a carry on bag with them.

The lesser price is for those who alert the airline of the bag during online or phone check in. Those who wait until they get to the gate will pay $15 more.

In comparison, it only costs $25 to stow a bag on the airline.

Spirit says it instituted the fee to cut down on the amount of time it takes for passengers to board a flight. The airline says so far it seems to be working as intended.

"The check-in process is going well so far," spokesperson Misty Pinson said Sunday afternoon. "It looks like this is going to speed things up."

While Spirit may love it's faster operations at the gate, news of the new fee set off a firestorm. Outraged passengers vowed not to fly on the carrier once the fee went into effect on August 1.

Spirit's competition Jet Blue even took a swipe at the new fee promoting a fake wearable bag for passengers.