No frills.
The news that Southwest Airlines would end a long-standing policy of allowing passengers on all fares to check two bags free of charge may have left passengers wondering if there are any free perks left in domestic economy class on any airline.
As it turns out, there are still quite a few frills in domestic economy class on many U.S. airlines—it just depends on what you consider a frill.
Southwest themselves once had their peanut bags labeled “Frills” to suggest they were not a “no frills” airline—simply a low-fare one. The Dallas-based airline stopped serving peanuts in 2018 due to allergy concerns but continues to serve free prepackaged snacks on flights with a beverage service. Speaking of beverage service, Southwest and many other U.S. carriers still proffer free nonalcoholic beverages in economy class on domestic flights. American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Alaska, and Hawaiian also offer free nonalcoholic beverages and snacks on all but the shortest flights. Ultra-low-cost carriers such as Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country, Avelo, and Breeze charge for drinks and snacks.
Continue Reading Article After Our Video
Recommended Fodor’s Video
Some U.S. airlines continue to offer free meals in coach on domestic flights. Hawaiian Airlines continues to serve hot sandwiches on most non-overnight flights between Hawai‘i and the West Coast, while longer flights to New York (JFK) and Boston have more substantial hot meals. United, American, and Delta also serve more substantial snacks or meals on longer Hawai‘i flights.
Wi-fi is fast becoming a standard amenity for most U.S. airlines, but it’s free of charge on JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines. Delta Air Lines is also working on rolling out free wi-fi to SkyMiles members on most domestic flights.
When it comes to entertainment, most airlines offer streaming entertainment to a personal device—only Frontier, Spirit, and Avelo don’t offer these. Other airlines have seatback screens. Delta and United both have them on a significant number of their domestic flights (on Delta only the Boeing 717 aircraft lacks screens; United is actively rolling them out to most mainline aircraft), while JetBlue has offered free seatback entertainment since it began flying in 2000. Hawaiian Airlines offers seatback screens on their widebody fleet, but not on the narrowbody Airbus A321 or Boeing 717.
And yes, Southwest was the last airline to offer free checked bags in economy, while many other airlines required elite status or one of their credit cards to waive the fee.
Still, many airlines offer carve-outs for bag fees that don’t require elite status or airline credit cards. Alaska residents who sign up for Alaska Airlines’ free Club 49 program can check two bags for free if they’re flying to or from Alaska, and all passengers traveling wholly within the 49th state can check three bags free of charge. After Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, they rolled out the similar Huaka‘i by Hawaiian program, which allows Hawai‘i residents who sign up for free to check one bag free of charge (including a surfboard or a golf bag) on flights within the Hawaiian Islands. Alaska Mileage Plan members can check a case of wine for free when traveling from 32 airports in the wine regions of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California.
There’s also a fun exception for flights from Hawai‘i. Coach passengers flying Alaska, United, or Hawaiian Airlines can check a box of Hawai‘i-grown fruit free of charge. Fruit types and weight restrictions may apply, so check with the airline before heading to the fruit stand.
Several airlines also offer onboard amenities for the young and young at heart. Delta has an unadvertised trading card program. United offers a children’s travel kit from Sesame Workshop, with an activity book, crayons, a puzzle, and a sensory calming strip with a textured surface to help soothe anxiety. Delta and Alaska still have plastic kiddie wings—and you don’t even have to be a kid to get them.
Note: The author was employed by Southwest Airlines from 2008 to 2023.
