Passengers can’t be expected to keep track of which airlines still include perks once considered standard, such as checked baggage or in-flight refreshments, and which airlines have converted basic aspects of traveling into new additional fees.
“Every airline has different rules for cabin bags, varying luggage size restrictions, and different add-ons and penalty fees,” says Paul Stewart, travel expert and founder of My Baggage. “This creates real confusion. What’s free on one airline might cost you on another.”
In an era when it’s all too easy to spend your day trying to figure out if your route covers enough miles for flight attendants to offer you a free packet of chips, whether your luggage allowance means you can pack your supersized coat as well as your favorite hat, or whether choosing to sit next to your love ones (or as far away from them as possible) will come with a price, we’ve got the lowdown on the freebies you can expect when booking entry-level fares with the top airlines serving the U.S. and Canada.
For each airline, we’ve listed the inclusions for the most affordable ticket category so you can figure out the minimum perks (if any) you’ll enjoy even when travelling in the cheapest fare category. If you pay more, you may get more—but these are the minimum perks you’ll enjoy.
Standard perks in basic economy on domestic airlines:
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One personal item (13” x 17” x 6”) only on flights within Canada and to/from the U.S, and flights to/from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; on long haul flights, complimentary allowance includes a checked bag, a personal item, and a cabin bag (21.5” 15.5” x 9”).
Food and drink?
Only on flights in and out of Canada
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Free (for members of its free loyalty club)
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on (22” x 14” x 9”), one personal item (“purse, briefcase, or laptop bag, and medically necessary items”)
Food and drink?
Drinks: complimentary non-alcoholic drinks; food: only complimentary on international routes between Seattle, Iceland, London, and Rome
Seat selection?
Included (but certain seats come with a charge)
Wi-Fi?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on (10” x 16” x 22”), one personal item (8” x 18” x 14”)
Food and drink?
Pay extra
Seat selection
Included (but certain seats, such as aisle seats, come with a charge)
Wi-Fi?
None available
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on (22” x 14” x 9”), one personal item (18” x 14” x 8”)
Food and drink?
Included
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Pay extra.
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on (22” x 14” x 9”), one personal item (“purse, briefcase, small backpack, belt bag, fanny pack, laptop bag, camera bag or diaper bag”) and one cabin bag (must fit in overhead bin)
Food and drink?
Non-alcoholic drinks and snacks (Lotus Biscoff Cookies, Cheez-It Original Baked Snack Crackers and SunChips Garden Salsa Flavored Whole Grain Snacks)
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Included on 1,000 planes; to be rolled out to more planes in 2026
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One personal item (14″ x 8″ x 8″)
Food and drink?
Pay extra
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on bag (22″ x 14″ x 9″) and one personal item (17″ x 13″ x 8″)
Food and drink?
Complimentary non-alcoholic drinks and snacks on flights within North America; free meals and drinks (including alcoholic ones) on transatlantic flights
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Included
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on (24” x 16” x 10”) and one personal item (18.5” x 8.5” x 13.5”)
Food and drink?
Complimentary snacks on select flights of 251 miles or more, complimentary non-alcoholic drinks on all flights
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One personal item (18″ x 14″ x 8″)
Food and drink?
Pay extra
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra, except for flights across the Pacific (one free checked bag)
Cabin baggage?
One personal item (9″ x 10″ x 17″); carry-on bags (22″ x 14″ x 9″) only included on flights to South America, across the Atlantic, or to international destinations across the Pacific
Food and drink?
Free mid-flight sandwich on flights longer than 12 hours and a free pre-arrival meal
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi
Included
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Included
Cabin baggage?
One cabin bag (22″ x 14″ x 9″) and one personal item (16″ x 13″ x 6″)
Food and drink?
Only on international flights flying in and out of North America
Seat selection?
Included
Wi-fF?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Standard perks in basic economy on international airlines:
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on bag (10kg max) and one personal item (must fit under seat)
Food and drink?
Included, including alcoholic drinks
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Included (23kg)
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on bag (22″ x 14″ x 10″) and one personal item (16″ x 12″ x 6″)
Food and drink?
Currently included on most flights, but Air France is phasing out free refreshments on certain flights and replacing with a buy-on-board menu
Seat selection?
Included
Wi-Fi?
Included for members of its free loyalty club
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Avianca Economy Classic
Checked baggage?
Included (23kg)
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on bag (10kg max) and one personal item (must fit under seat)
Food and drink?
Included, but only in flights to, from, and via Europe
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-fi?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
Included, one cabin bag (22″ x 18″ x 10″) and one personal item (16″ x 12″ x 6″)
Food and drink?
Included, including alcoholic drinks
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Free for members of its free loyalty club
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One cabin bag (22″ x 15″ x 8″)
Food and drink?
Included, including alcoholic drinks
Seat selection?
Included
Wi-Fi
Free messaging using apps such as WhatsApp, but that’s it
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
KLM Economy Light
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One personal item (16″ x 12″ x 6″) and one cabin bag (22″ x 14″ x10″)
Food and drink?
Included, including alcoholic drinks
Seat selection?
Included
Wi-Fi?
Free messaging using apps such as WhatsApp for members its free loyalty club
Free cancellation or refund ?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One carry-on bag (22″ x 16″ x 9″)
Food and drink?
Included, but only on long-haul.
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-fi?
Pay extra
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Included (up to 25kg)
Cabin baggage?
One cabin bag; sum of length, width, and height of each piece not to exceed 45 inches
Food and drink?
Included, including alcoholic drinks
Seat selection?
Included
Wi-Fi?
Included
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
Included; one 10kg carry-on bag
Food and drink?
Included, including alcoholic drinks
Seat selection?
Included
Wi-Fi?
Free 20-minute session; Virgin Atlantic announced it will offer free, streaming-quality, fleet-wide Wi-Fi starting in late 2026.
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
Checked baggage?
Pay extra
Cabin baggage?
One personal item only; must fit under seat
Food and drink?
Pay extra
Seat selection?
Pay extra
Wi-Fi?
Not available
Free cancellation or refund?
Free within 24 hours
