Flying from Europe: What is Included in the Cheapest Economy Fare?

Long-haul connections for less than €400, especially to North America, are no longer uncommon. Even within Europe, you can sometimes get from A to B and back for €20 or €30. However, this trend is mainly due to so-called light fares. In many cases, only the flight is included in the ticket price.

However, if you add things that used to be taken for granted, such as luggage, the ticket suddenly costs twice as much or even more. For this reason, at Travel-Dealz we always indicate (especially for long-haul routes) whether or not luggage is included in the prices quoted. To make it a little easier, we have prepared a small list so that you know immediately which airlines still offer special services even in the cheapest economy fare – and which do not.

Short-Haul

Airline	Carry-on	Luggage	Drinks	Snacks	Meals	Seat selection
Aegean Airlines Light	8 kg	x	✓	✓	Partially	X
Air France Light	12 kg***	X	✓	✓	X	X
Austrian Economy Light	8 kg	X	X	X	X	X
British Airways Euro Traveller Basic	23 kg	X	Water	✓	X	X
BA Cityflyer Euro Traveller Basic	23 kg	X	✓	✓	X	X
Condor Economy Light	X	X	X	X	X	X
Corendon Eco	8 kg	X	Limited*	✓	X	X
easyJet	X	X	X	X	X	X
Eurowings BASIC	X	X	X	X	X	X
Finnair Economy Light	8 kg	X	Limited*	X	X	X
Iberia Basic	10 kg	X	X	X	X	X
ITA Economy Light	8 kg	X	✓**	✓**	X	X
KLM	12 kg***	X	✓	✓	X	X
LOT SAVER	8 kg	X	✓	✓	X	X
Lufthansa Economy Light	8 kg	X	Water	X	X	X
Ryanair Value	X	X	X	X	X	X
SAS Go Light	X	X	Limited*	X	X	X
SWISS Light	8 kg	X	Water	X	X	X
TUI fly Pure	6 kg	X	X	X	X	X
Turkish Airlines EcoFly	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Wizzair Basic	X	X	X	X	X	X

*Limited = mostly only non-alcoholic drinks like water or coffee.
** not on domestic flights.
*** Total weight of Cabin Bag + Personal Item (see below).

Big Differences in Meals and Drinks

On short-haul flights (up to 4-5 hours), many airlines are taking free meals out of their offerings. This also applies to the well-known German holiday airlines Condor and TuiFly. Even on longer flights, such as to the Canary Islands or Cape Verde, drinks are only offered for sale if you have booked the cheapest fare.

In comparison, Lufthansa was much more accommodating – on longer routes, such as to Portugal, the German flagship carrier even served a warm meal (instead of a cold apple or muesli bar) during the flight. In the meantime, nothing has remained free for the German Star Alliance member and its partners Austrian and Swiss.

Large Carry-on Allowance for Brits

Another special feature is hand luggage. While some budget airlines like Ryanair or Wizzair go so far as to even charge you extra for a cabin trolley (only one personal item that has to fit under the front seat is allowed free of charge), British airlines are surprisingly accommodating here. While there are restrictions on dimensions (also more generous than most competitors), the 23 kg weight limit that British Airways allows as hand luggage is exceptionally generous. Good news for all brick transporters among us!

A checked bag was included with Turkish Airlines for a long time – but this is no longer the case on routes from Europe to Istanbul. Just like seat selection, checked baggage now costs money if you only fly to Turkey and no further. At least, the Star Alliance member still offers drinks and meals to every guest. However, the flights offered by the Turkish airline from most European countries always take around three hours.

Long-Haul

Airline	Carry-on	Luggage	Drinks	Snacks	Meals	Seat selection
Aer Lingus Saver	10 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Air Canada Basic	No weight limit	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Air China Economy Saver	5 kg	23 kg	✓	✓	✓	Partially
Air Europa LITE	10 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Air France Light	12 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
American Airlines Basic Economy	No weight limit	X	✓	✓	✓	X
ANA Special / Basic	10 kg	2 x 23 kg	✓	✓	✓	Partially
Austrian Economy Light	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
British Airways Economy Basic	23 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Cathay Pacific Light	7 kg	23 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
Condor Economy Light	X	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Delta Basic Economy	No weight limit	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Emirates Saver	7 kg	25 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
Ethiopian Economy Promo	7 kg	2 x 23 kg	✓	✓	✓	✓
Etihad Economy Deal	7 kg	23 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
Eurowings Discover Economy Light	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Eva Air Economy Discount	7 kg	23 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
Finnair Economy Light	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Iberia Basic	10 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Icelandair Economy Light	10 kg	X	✓	X	X	X
ITA Economy Light	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
JAL Standard	10 kg	2 x 23 kg	✓	✓	✓	✓
KLM Light	12 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Korean Air Saver	10 kg	23 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
LATAM Light	10 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
LOT Saver	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Lufthansa Economy Light	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Norse Atlantic Economy Light	X	X	Water	X	X	X
Oman Air Economy Saver	7 kg	Partially	✓	✓	✓	X
Qantas Q Deal	7 kg	30 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
Qatar Airways Lite	7 kg	20 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
Royal Jordanian Economy Saver	7 kg	23 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
SAS LIGHT	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Scoot Economy	10 kg	X	X	X	X	X
Singapore Airlines Lite	7 kg	25 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
SWISS Light	8 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
TAP DISCOUNT	10 kg	X	✓	✓	✓	X
THAI Saver	7 kg	20 kg	✓	✓	✓	✓
Turkish Airlines	8 kg	30 kg	✓	✓	✓	X
United Basic Economy	No weight limit	X	✓	✓	✓	X
Vietnam Airlines Economy Super Lite	12 kg	23 kg	✓	✓	✓	X

A brief explanation of seat selection: Partially means that some seats can be reserved free of charge, but most of the time the seats are at the back of the plane or even only the middle seats. Emergency exit seats cost extra at almost every airline.

Continental Differences – Especially When it Comes to Luggage

With the services included on long-haul flights, you notice a big difference in the origin of the airline. Asian passengers place a much higher value on service than their budget-conscious counterparts in America and Europe. That is why you will find many services included, especially with airlines from this part of the world, for which you have had to put a few euros more on the table for quite some time now.

The trend continues for checked baggage – 14 out of 16 airlines on our list that include baggage in the lowest fare come from a country that is mostly in Asia (this clever phrasing allows us to include TK). Only Ethiopian and Qantas also offer this service. With all the justified praise for the Turkish state carrier, it should not go unmentioned that the seat spacing in the long-haul aircraft A330 and Boeing 777 is absolutely awful.

When it comes to cabin luggage, the North American companies Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta and United are taking a different approach. With these airlines, the hand luggage is only measured, but not weighed. British Airways (23 kg) as well as KLM and Air France (12 kg each) also stand out with more generous limits than the competition. However, it should be noted that the weight of the cabin bag (e.g. a trolley) and the personal item (should fit under the seat of the person in front) are added together. The 8 kg of the Lufthansa Group is limited exclusively to the cabin bag.

Nobody Will Starve

It is gratifying that the supply of drinks and hot meals on long-haul routes has not yet been turned through the commercial mill by the airlines. Even special requests such as vegetarian, kosher or lactose-free menus can be pre-ordered at no extra charge. Exceptions were airlines such as Eurowings, Fly Norse or Scoot, which have set themselves the goal of establishing the low-cost airline model on long-haul routes. However, the business model has not had any major successes so far.

Conclusion

Even if it always looks sparse on the short routes, at least on flights to Asia you can still expect a number of included services even with the cheapest ticket (if you are travelling with airlines from there). Of course, other factors also influence the choice of airline, especially on long flights of 10 hours or more.

When it comes to seat quality and in-flight service, for example, airlines such as Turkish Airlines or Singapore Airlines differ greatly, even if they do similarly well in our table. A look at our many economy class reviews will help here:

Review: Ryanair to Dublin – as Bad as its Reputation?

Review of Singapore Airlines’ Economy Class: Copenhagen – Rome in the Airbus A350

Review: Cebu Pacific Airbus A321Neo From Bali to Manila

Review: All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 Economy Class

Review: Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 Long Haul Economy

Review: Turkish Airlines A330 Long Haul Economy

Text: Felix Lomberg. Research & table: Ditmar Lange.

Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange