What You Need To Know About Alitalia's Basic Economy Fares

Many airlines these days, including American, Delta and United, are offering 'basic' economy fares. While in most cases this simply means that the base fare remains the same and you end up paying more for things you used to get for free, it does seem to be a trend in the industry.

Alitalia is the latest to follow this trend by offering a basic economy ticket known as "Light Economy." Like with most other airlines, these means you don't get to choose your seat ahead of time and other restrictions around what types of luggage you can bring on board the aircraft.

For Alitalia that means that if you're flying on a Light Economy ticket, you will be limited to a single carry-on bag that weighs less than 8 kilograms. If you book a 'classic' economy ticket, you get a checked bag included in your ticket price. With Light Economy, you also won't be able to make any changes to your booking before your flight. And if something happens that causes you to miss your trip, you won't be able to get a refund — yet another reason to have travel protection.

While it seems that this trend of offering lower basic fares is here to stay, it's always a good idea to figure out the final cost of your flight if you have to check baggage because you can't bring it on board, or you want to be able to choose your seat before you check in for your flight. In the long run, you might be better off paying for the slightly more expensive ticket in some cases.

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