Google Flights Now Tells You the Baggage Rules on Some Tickets
Since American Airlines and United Airlines implemented their basic economy fares last month, travelers have had to prepare to accept the terms of flying basic economy in exchange for a cheap ticket. And in the past couple of weeks, Google Flights has developed a tool that alerts you of the baggage rules when you're looking at a basic economy fare or one with a low-cost carrier.
If you're looking for your next ticket on Google Flights, the search tool is now making it easier to distinguish what kind of ticket you're buying. Say, for example, you spot a cheap round-trip fare between Dallas (DFW) and Tampa (TPA) with American. Once you click on your preferred flights, you'll have your summary, where you can then click to book directly through AA. Google Flights now displays a warning at the bottom of the page and above the booking link that informs you of AA's baggage policy for basic economy fares — one small personal item.
The platform also gives similar warnings for United's basic economy fares:
Note that Google Flights doesn't offer a basic economy fare warning for Delta, most likely because its basic economy fare allows travelers one full-size carry on and a personal item for free.
However, you'll continue to see other baggage info warnings on low-cost carriers' results with Google Flights, like with this Frontier flight between New York (LGA) and Miami (MIA).
And the same goes for Frontier's low-cost counterpart, Spirit on this flight between Chicago (ORD) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
In all, this is a useful addition from Google Flights. When booking, travelers often go for the lowest price and sometimes forget about other costs associated with the ticket, such as baggage fees. And while we've known they exist with low-cost carriers, the implementation of basic economy fares on United and American could be surprising for travelers. It's helpful to be warned of the extra costs associated with your travel before completing your booking.
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