Schumer to meet with Spirit Airlines CEO on Tuesday

New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer plans to tell the head of Spirit Airlines that its new carry-on bag fee goes too far and could lead to additional charges for in-flight services. 

Schumer, who plans to meet with Spirit Airlines chief Ben Baldanza sometime Tuesday, has introduced legislation and called on the Treasury Department to craft a rule that would prohibit fees for carry-on bags. 

"This steps over the line because a carry-on is part and parcel of flying," Schumer said this morning on Fox News. "People need it -- parents need it to feed their children, business people need it to do work on the plane. You also often need it if you're quickly running to make a stop."

When asked why the marketplace shouldn't decide on the fees, Schumer argued that Spirit started the checked-baggage fee and other airlines quickly followed to make up for losses during 2008 when oil prices soared. 

"Well the bottom line is what happened last time is it wasn't the marketplace deciding because Spirit did it," he said about the checked-bag fee. 

So far, five airlines -- United, US Air, JetBlue, Delta and American -- have told Schumer they won't charge the carry-on fee. 

Spirit Airlines plans to charge up to $45 for carry-on luggage that would be stowed in the overhead bin, citing shorter security lines and safer conditions for passengers. Baldanza has argued that his company offers cheaper fares so prices would still be lower to many destinations than competing airlines.