By Sam Kemmis | NerdWallet
Buying airfare has become a marathon of decision-making.
Which airline do you prefer? Should you book in basic economy or main cabin? Do you want to pay for a window seat? Are free changes and cancellations a must?
Increasingly, airlines are condensing this marathon of micro-decisions into a single choice between several “bundles,” which offer popular add-ons for one price. This price is usually discounted from the cost of buying each add-on a la carte — kind of like a value meal at a fast-food restaurant.
The trouble with navigating these bundles and determining which ones are worth it and which are mere upsells comes from their variety. Each airline has its own unique bundling offers and names — from “basic,” “bonus” and “total” on Allegiant Airlines to “Simple Peach,” “Value Peach” and “Prime Peach” on (you guessed it) Peach Aviation, based in Japan.
Which peach to pick? The “best” bundle depends on your travel preferences and the airline you’re flying. No standard guidelines apply across all situations because each airline has created its own rules for how these bundles work.
That said, there are some simple mistakes to avoid and tips to be aware of when choosing an airline bundled fare.
Beat your behavioral biases
Airfare add-ons are an enormous business. Global airline ancillary revenue was projected to reach $117.9 billion in 2023, according to an October 2023 report from IdeaWorksCompany, an airline industry reporting firm, and CarTrawler, a travel software provider. So airlines are highly motivated to upsell you with add-on bundles.
They do this by exploiting cognitive biases we all share when making purchasing decisions. The trick, then, is to recognize and counteract these biases.
For example, Frontier Airlines offers bundle options during the checkout flow, with clear explanations for what each includes. What’s less clear is that these choices are optional, that is, you can…
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