With more and more main-line airlines offering ‘basic economy’ fares in competition with ultra-low-cost carriers, and sometimes, it seems, with themselves, Kayak has developed a way to help you see if what you get is what you want.
Kayak president Keith Melnick told USA Today that the arrival of these new fares has changed the picture from when “A flight on American was a flight on American. And the same on Delta and United. If you bought a fare, you got from point A to point B and – at the time – you even got a checked bag.”
Now, the new fares come with a variety of restrictions and extra charges that can make it hard to tell if you’re getting a bargain, or if the bargain is worth giving up an amenity you really want. So, when you search for a basic economy fare on one of the Big 3, you’ll now see an option for more details, and can see a display like the one above.
While it’s limited to the Big 3 for now, Melnick expects that Kayak, one of the largest sellers of airline tickets in the U.S., will eventually be able to show similar displays for all airlines, including the ULCCs.
