Many students planning on catching some rays next week will be hopping on planes as Spring Break begins. And undoubtedly, their wallets will take a hit.

Travelers religiously check websites like Expedia.com and Travelocity.com to search for the best deal to get out of town. But starting June 20, these cheap-ticket searchers may want to turn to Spirit Airlines.

The airline will be slashing fares up to 40 percent, according to a March 7 Associated Press article.

What’s the catch? Passengers will have to pay to check their baggage or get food and beverages on the flight, which are complimentary services on most airlines.

But two pieces of luggage will only cost each traveler $5 if the reservations are made online, and soft drinks and coffee will be just $1 each. This is a small price to pay for a potential 40-percent-off boarding pass. Spirit’s plan also chargers customers only for the services they use. Many passengers could probably do without the complimentary pretzels and soda and would welcome a less-expensive ticket. Spirit is not charging passengers to pay baggage-handling fees unless they themselves are checking bags.

Spirit’s fare slashing is a risky marketing ploy. It seems unlikely the airline will make up the money it loses from cutting prices just with the proposed fees. The airline must hope it will increase traveler volume by cutting its prices, but there is no guarantee the plan will fill seats. If volume is sparse after June 20, Spirit will be grounded or be forced to re-raise its fares.

But in business, companies need to take a chance to move ahead. And the small 33-destination airline competes with JetBlue, Northwest Airlines and Southwest Airlines. It must set itself apart from its rivals that always seem to offer cheap tickets.

This type of unique pricing system will catch fliers’ attentions. Spirit’s marketing plan is admirable because it has customers’ interests in mind. But it isn’t a strategy that anyone should expect other carriers to adopt. Major air transit businesses have too wide a customer base to change policies this drastically. People who are frequent fliers with a big airline would be perturbed to show up to the airport and learn it will cost them $5 to check luggage and $1 to sip on their usual in-flight cup of ginger ale.

But Spirit’s plan represents a nice trend. It appears many airlines are searching for their own way to keep prices down. If ticket costs drop, passengers’ spirits will rise. If passengers are happy, they will take up seats.