Photo: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock

TikTok User Banned From Spirit Airlines for Posting a Travel Hack Video

News Airports + Flying
by Eben Diskin Nov 18, 2020

Everyone appreciates a good travel hack, but sometimes those hacks cross a line that pushes the legal boundary. A TikTok user was recently banned from Spirit Airlines for posting a video showing passengers how to bring a large carry-on bag without paying for it.

The user, named robkallday, shared a video with his more than 2,500 followers showing how he used editing software to change a Spirit Airlines boarding pass to read “1” instead of “0” under the “carry-on bag” section. Since Spirit charges extra for large carry-ons that need to be stored overhead, this would have allowed people to sneak large bags onboard for free.

@robkallday

Didn’t actually do this, my bag fits #nobodyneedstoknow #travelhacks #pdfeditor #vegasbaby #iphone11pro #spiritairlines

♬ how would they know bad girls club – Chris Gleason

In the video description, the user explained how he hadn’t actually used the hack himself and was just sharing a tip for those daring enough to give it a try. This didn’t matter to Spirit, however, which banned him from the airline for at least two years.

In a second video, he shared the letter he received from Spirit informing him of their decision.

“As you know, you created a video on the social media platform TikTok showing users how to manipulate a Spirit Airlines boarding pass and fraudulently indicate they paid for a carry-on bag to the financial detriment of Spirit Airlines,” reads the letter. “Additionally, as evidenced in the video’s comments, you have also been advising users specifically on what cell phone application they should download to carry out the scam. In light of this egregious misconduct, Spirit Airlines has determined that you are no longer permitted to fly with us and we have placed you on a list for this purpose. You are also barred from entering Spirit’s facilities. If you seek to circumvent this, any ticket that you purchase will be forfeited without a refund. If you come into our facilities we will report that trespass to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.”

Spirit suggested that the ban could be lifted after two years but only if the offender wrote a letter pleading his case. Since the video has gone viral, however, the damage may have already been done.

Discover Matador

Save Bookmark

We use cookies for analytics tracking and advertising from our partners.

For more information read our privacy policy.