Airline guides
Airline policy and booking guides
Baggage rules, fare-class restrictions and change policies differ far more between carriers than most travellers expect. We keep a separate page for each airline we book often, and we date every one.
Most booked
The carriers we handle most, and the ones where the rules changed most recently.
Southwest Airlines
Two structural changes in twelve months, plus limited third-party distribution.
Read the guideDelta Air Lines
The fare-class ladder is the point of confusion, not the booking itself.
Read the guideAmerican Airlines
Basic Economy that behaves unlike its rivals, plus two seat products people conflate.
Read the guideUnited Airlines
The carry-on question has a genuinely non-obvious, route-dependent answer.
Read the guideFrontier Airlines
Show the arithmetic nobody else shows.
Read the guideAlso frequently booked
Solid domestic and transborder coverage with their own quirks worth knowing.
JetBlue Airways
Seat pitch and cabin comfort are the real differentiator.
Read the guideAlaska Airlines
Saver fare rules differ from Basic Economy in ways people get wrong.
Read the guideAir Canada
Preclearance is the thing travellers underestimate.
Read the guideSmaller and regional carriers
Narrower networks, but often the only nonstop on a given route.
Hawaiian Airlines
Island and airport choice is the real decision.
Read the guideBreeze Airways
Unique nonstops, but low frequency means real disruption risk.
Read the guideAvelo Airlines
Write about the volatility, not a route list that goes stale.
Read the guideWhat actually differs from one airline to the next
Federal rules set the floor for every airline on refunds, bumping, tarmac delays and baggage liability. Above that floor, each airline writes its own rules, and that is where travellers get caught. Each airline page covers these points for that carrier:
- Fare families. What the cheapest fare removes (seat choice, changes, a carry-on on some carriers) and what the next fare up restores. Our Basic Economy guide compares the big four.
- Bags. Allowances and fees vary by airline, route, fare and status; see baggage fees compared, and lost luggage compensation if a bag goes missing.
- Changes and cancellations. Most large US airlines no longer charge a change fee on standard economy fares, but the fare difference still applies. See changing or cancelling a flight.
- Hubs and connections. Where an airline connects you shapes how long the trip takes and what happens if a flight is late; see missed connecting flights.
Every airline publishes a contract of carriage and, for covered carriers, a customer service plan and a tarmac delay contingency plan. When our summary and the airline's own documents differ, the airline's documents govern; each page links to the airline's official site.
Questions about our airline guides
Is Trailisse affiliated with any of these airlines?
No. Trailisse is an independent travel agency. Airline names are used only to identify the carrier, and each page links to the airline's own website.
Is it cheaper to book directly with the airline?
Often the fare is the same either way. Booking direct gives you a direct relationship with the airline for changes; an agent can help where the trip is complex, involves a group, or mixes airlines. Compare the full total, including taxes and fees, before you decide.
What is a contract of carriage?
It is the airline's legal terms for your ticket: baggage liability, rebooking, refunds, check-in deadlines and more. Airlines publish it on their websites, and it is the document to quote in a dispute, alongside the federal rules.
Booking an airline we have not written up?
We book well beyond the carriers listed here, including international airlines. These pages exist because they are the ones we are asked about most, not because they are the only ones we handle. Send us the route and ask.