13 Red Flags You’re About to Book a Bad Airline
Updated: Jan. 13, 2023The price is right and the destination looks incredible but something just doesn't feel right about the flight you are looking to book. We've all been there. Here are 13 red flags you're about to book a bad airline.
Choosing a seat is going to cost you
You expect that the first row of economy and the exit aisles will cost more money. That’s fine, but when you have to pay extra to choose any seat, simply for the privilege of having a designated seat before a middle seat in the last row of the plane is assigned to you at check-in, that’s a big red flag you may be about to book a bad airline. Note: even the big airlines like United and American are starting to charge for selecting any seat in advance of check-in when booking their lowest, Basic Economy fares. Seat selection at the time of booking remains free of charge on all large carriers when choosing the Main Cabin—or higher—fare.
Flying in or out of a secondary airport
Generally speaking, the best airlines fly into the biggest, most easily accessible airports closest to the destinations you want to visit. If you see an unfamiliar airport code pop up after searching for your destination city, you may be about to book a bad airline. One exception: Southwest is one of the great, passenger-friendly airlines that does use a few second-choice airports in Chicago, Dallas, and Houston, most notably. Here are the secrets airports don’t want you to know.
The inches of legroom aren’t advertised
A good airline should provide you with the legroom, in inches, in each cabin of service to help you decide which seat is best for you and your needs in-flight. If this simple piece of information isn’t available during the booking process, proceed with caution (especially if you are tall!). Not sure where to sit? Start with our guide to the best seat on the airplane for every type of need.
Customer service phone numbers are hidden
If it takes more than two clicks on an airline website to find a customer service contact phone number, it’s likely a sign you are dealing with an airline that isn’t consumer-friendly. And that unfriendliness may become an issue if your luggage is lost or your flight is delayed/canceled. Just be sure to avoid the least reliable airlines in America.
You are hung up on when you call customer service
OK, so you found the phone number to speak to a real-live person to ask a question about booking a flight but when you call customer service, you are directed back to the website and disconnected unceremoniously. That’s a sure sign of a bad airline. Get the best deal on your flight by booking on the best day to buy airline tickets.
A carry-on bag will cost you
Nickel and diming passengers for normal things, like having the audacity to bring a backpack on a trip, is a bad habit of bad airlines. Through a new sub-class of ticket called “Basic Economy,” old stalwarts like United are now also limiting what passengers can bring on board, and charging for anything larger than a laptop bag. Delta and American’s most basic fares still, at the time of publishing, do permit a traditional carry-on bag plus a personal item to fly free of charge, but it is easy to imagine this policy becoming less consumer-friendly in the future.
The planes are old
It may take a bit of legwork during the booking process to figure this out, but a smart traveler will research the age of the plane they are considering buying a seat on. Bad airlines may hold on to planes a little longer than they should. While the overall safety rating of an airplane has more to do with quality maintenance than its age, the seats are likely not as plush on old planes as on modern ones with those expandable and bendable comfy headrests. Old planes may also have fewer and smaller bathrooms and old planes probably aren’t equipped with WiFi or TVs.
There’s no WiFi
We are far enough into the 21st century now that every plane should offer WiFi. If the flight you are looking at doesn’t offer Internet access, it may reveal the age of the plane and reflect poorly on the airline itself. Here’s what airplane pilots wish you knew but won’t tell you.
On-time performance data isn’t provided
A reliable airline will want you to know the on-time performance data of their flights during the booking process. A bad airline, not so much. Check to see if the flight you are booking is regularly on-time. American Airlines’ on-time arrival percentage, for example, is based on arrival within 14 minutes after the scheduled arrival time and is reported monthly to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Keep in mind these 13 things even the best airlines won’t tell you.
Unreasonable change fees
Things happen and sometimes you will need to change your plans. Before you book your flight, check the airline’s policy and fee schedule for making changes to your departure dates and destination. American, Delta, and United, for example, each charge $200 + the difference in fare for any changes made to a domestic flight before the day of travel. Alaska Air, on the other hand, manages to push those same buttons for $125. Southwest still allows complimentary changes. If the fees for basic administrative changes are unreasonable, shop around for a more understanding airline. Airlines aren’t the only ones at fault for bad travel experiences—learn the 16 air travel mistakes you need to stop making.
