[danaris]

The trouble is, without some overriding authority defining what it means to "have a plane ticket", what counts as "included"? Because anything that doesn't can then be considered an "add-on".

Carry-on luggage. Meal/snack and beverage service. A pillow and blanket. A seat that's not a middle seat. Even the ability to choose your seat at all.

Airlines that want to tighten the screws on their passengers can, in theory, start charging for all of those, and calling them "paid add-ons", even under a "no junk fees" law, if we don't clearly define what passengers should be able to expect to be included in their ticket.

[parineum]

You're describing legitimate add-ons though. The most important part about plane tickets is that I get from A to B. If whatever price compare tool I'm using doesn't let me select the add-ons I want, I can at least find the cheapest base price of a few competitors and then go from there.

If I need luggage, I can do my own legwork to make sure that I factor that in.

[alkonaut]

The comparison price for flights should be normalized. Like for example including either a carry on luggage or a checked in bag but not necessarily both, and no reserved seat.

If some even cheaper airline wants to sell tickets without carry on or whatever then they’ll have to list the higher price and offer a pleasant surprise of a lower-than-advertised price when the customer completed the booking.

[the_svd_doctor]

I get you. AFAICT what's included for airlines is basically "get me from A to B".

There are usually ways to filter out by seat types, though, both on airlines websites and in places like Google flights. In my experience those are also pretty accurate.

[HDThoreaun]

None of those things should be included. I want none and dont want to pay for having access to them. What we actually need is a business that lets you put in the add ons you want and shows you how much that would cost.

[danaris]

That's a very "I got mine" type of attitude.

You think everyone should be expected to pay extra not to

- fly with nothing but the clothes on their back

- separated from their family

- with no food or drink, on a 5, 10, 15-hour flight

- with no leg or elbow room

- and no pillow or blanket to make it even vaguely possible to sleep?

[HDThoreaun]

I am happy with the current situation. Airlines are segmented so that people like me can fly spirit or frontier for rock bottom rates and people who want to enjoy the flight can fly delta or whoever.

[testfoobar]

There are some completely new and wacky fee structures though. I recently flew Avelo airlines - baggage fees were a function of when I paid - rising as I got closer to the flight date.