Airlines have been charging coach-class passengers to check bags for more than a decade, but those travelers usually got a pass when they flew internationally. No more.
American and Delta this year started to charge travelers who bought basic economy fares — generally the lowest fare on the plane — to check their bags on trans-Atlantic routes. It will cost $60 to check the first bag. Alternatively, passengers can book a more expensive, regular economy-class ticket, which comes with a free checked bags.
Basic economy tickets don’t include perks that generally come with regular economy-class tickets, such as advance seat selection. Basic economy passengers also board last. American doesn’t allow passengers to use overhead bins on its domestic basic-economy fares, but will do so for international flights.
Think you’ll escape all of this by flying a foreign carrier? Guess again. American’s trans-Atlantic partner, British Airways, United’s partner Lufthansa and Delta’s partner Air France-KLM, now offer similar no-frills tickets and fees.
