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New lower airline fares come with a lot of restrictions

Posted at 6:36 PM, Jan 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-17 20:36:28-05

Have you seen those new lower fares offered by major airlines?

They're called "basic economy" fares and are an answer to the low cost airlines like Frontier and Spirit.

And they too come with a lot of restrictions.

Anthony emailed saying on the 2nd leg of his trip on American, he had to pay a $100 mid-trip fee for baggage.

He questions why the same bags were allowed on the first plane, but not on this one.

We took a look at the "basic economy" policies for United, American and Delta.

Each website and ticket does state the restrictions for buying basic economy.

They include no assigned seats, you may not be able to sit together and you board last.

Delta does allow an item to be stowed in the overhead bins.

But United and American say you can only bring on a personal item for free that must be able to fit under the seat. No bin access.

Anthony says he bought his tickets from a 3rd party site and didn't know they were basic economy tickets.

American Airlines says the restrictions are marked on the website and on the tickets.

But they did reach out to Anthony about his situation.

Even though it's not a traditional "discount" airline, the rules for these basic lowest fares are the same.

Read them fully.

Also, know that they are best if you're traveling light and don't care that you get a middle seat.