Airlines eliminated pricey fees to change or cancel a ticket more than a year ago and tout the newfound flexibility at every turn.
“Welcome back to travel with no change fees,” American Airlines’ website proclaims.
“Book your next trip now and enjoy peace of mind with no change fees,” Delta tells online ticket shoppers.
Hawaiian Airlines’ pitch: “Say hello to effortless travel. Book now, change if you need to.”
The pandemic-induced policy change, which airline executives now say was long overdue, has been a major win for passengers.
Pre-pandemic: Is Delta Air Lines going to shake up those onerous change fees?
Pay up: Delta to allow changes to basic economy tickets, for a fee
But travelers need to beware of the asterisks. Every airline from American to Spirit has fine print attached to their free flight change policies. Travelers need to understand the restrictions before buying a ticket or risk a nasty surprise if their plans change.
Basic economy vs. economy on American, United, Delta
On major airlines, travelers who buy the cheapest tickets will still find restrictions on changing or canceling flights.
A keyword to look for in flight search results: basic.
American, United and Delta call their cheapest tickets basic economy tickets, while JetBlue Airways calls them “Blue Basic” tickets and Hawaiian Airlines calls them “Main Cabin Basic.” Alaska Airlines calls them “saver” fares. No-frills airline Allegiant even has a basic fare.
Southwest Airlines does not offer a basic economy ticket or charge change fees; its cheapest tickets are changeable but a fare difference applies.
Southwest ticket shakeup: Airline to introduce new fare class in 2022
Just don’t call it basic economy: Is Southwest Airlines considering a no-frills ticket?
Buying basic economy tickets early in the pandemic carried little risk because broad airline travel waivers eliminated most of the restrictions.
The waivers started to expire last year and any existing ones no longer cover new basic…