- Award flight
- A flight booked using frequent-flyer miles or points instead of cash. Award flights typically still incur baggage fees and seat-selection fees, paid in cash or points depending on the program. Co-branded credit-card baggage benefits usually still apply.
- Bait fare
- The headline price shown on a flight search results page that excludes most of the fees a typical traveller will actually pay. Designed to win the sort-by-price ranking, not to reflect what you'll be charged at checkout. The bait fare is the problem BaggageIQ exists to solve.
- Bare Fare
- Spirit Airlines' name for its lowest fare tier, which includes only a personal item and a seat — no cabin bag, no checked bag, no advance seat selection, no changes. The category-defining example of fully unbundled pricing.
- Basic Economy
- A restricted fare tier sold alongside standard Economy on most US legacy carriers (American, Delta, United) and several international airlines. Typically excludes a free cabin bag, advance seat selection, and changes; includes only a personal item. Most baggage-fee surprises happen in Basic Economy.
- Cabin bag
- A bag that fits in the overhead bin. Sometimes called a carry-on. Distinct from a personal item, which fits under the seat in front of you. On most budget airlines and most Basic Economy fares, a cabin bag is not free — only the personal item is.
- Carry-on
- Generic term for any bag you bring into the cabin rather than check. Often used interchangeably with cabin bag, but technically includes both the cabin bag (overhead) and the personal item (under-seat).
- Checked bag
- A bag you hand over at check-in or bag drop, which travels in the cargo hold and is collected at baggage claim. Standard size limits are 158 cm (62 in) total dimensions and 23 kg (50 lb) on most full-service airlines. Budget airlines often cap weight at 18–20 kg with significant overweight fees beyond.
- Co-branded credit card
- A credit card issued jointly by a card network (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) and a specific airline — for example, the United Explorer Card or Delta SkyMiles Gold. Co-branded cards typically waive the first checked bag for the cardholder (and often companions on the same reservation) when flying that specific airline.
- Fare tier
- Also called fare class, fare bucket, or branded fare. The bundle of services included with a given fare — e.g. Basic Economy, Main, Premium, Business. Determines baggage allowance, seat selection rights, change fees, and earning rate for miles, all priced separately within a single flight.
- Gate-checked bag
- A bag that's checked at the gate immediately before boarding, usually because the cabin is full or your bag exceeds cabin allowance. On budget airlines, gate-checking can cost up to 3x the price of a checked bag added during booking — frequently the most expensive way to pay for a bag.
- IATA code
- The two-letter airline code assigned by the International Air Transport Association — e.g. DL for Delta Air Lines, AA for American Airlines, BA for British Airways, 6E for IndiGo. BaggageIQ uses these codes internally to look up an airline's baggage policy.
- Mixed itinerary
- A booking where the outbound and inbound flights are operated by different airlines, often with different baggage policies. The applicable fees are determined per leg by the operating airline, not the booking airline. Common on cheap return tickets pieced together by Skyscanner.
- Operating airline
- The airline whose aircraft and crew actually flies the leg, which may differ from the marketing airline (the one whose code is on your ticket). Baggage policies typically follow the operating airline, not the marketing airline. A "Lufthansa" flight operated by United uses United's baggage policy.
- Per-passenger pricing
- A pricing display where the headline price represents the cost for one traveller. Most flight search sites display per-passenger prices, but a few (notably MakeMyTrip's results page) display the full trip total — easy to miss when comparing.
- Personal item
- A small bag that fits under the seat in front of you — typically a backpack, laptop bag, or large purse. Almost universally included free on every airline at every fare tier. Size limits typically 40×30×20 cm (16×12×8 in), with budget carriers like Frontier and Spirit enforcing the limit aggressively at the gate.
- Real total
- The number BaggageIQ stamps onto every flight: the base fare plus expected baggage fees plus expected seat-selection fees minus any credit-card baggage benefit you have. The amount you'll actually pay if you book this flight without changing your travel needs. Synonym for true cost.
- Round-trip total
- The total cost of a return booking, including both legs. Most flight searches default to displaying this for round-trip queries, but baggage fees apply to each leg independently and need to be doubled for round-trip math. BaggageIQ does the doubling automatically.
- Seat selection fee
- A charge to choose your specific seat in advance rather than letting the airline assign one at check-in. Standard seats in basic economy may cost $5–$15; preferred or extra-legroom seats can run $30–$80 each way. Free if you accept a random seat at check-in, but families travelling together usually need to pay if they want to sit together.
- Self-transfer
- An itinerary where you collect your luggage between connecting flights and re-check it for the next leg, rather than the airline transferring it through. Common on cheap multi-airline itineraries and intentionally separate bookings; means you may pay checked-bag fees twice and need to clear immigration at the connection point.
- Skiplagging
- Also called hidden-city ticketing. Booking a flight with a layover at your actual destination and skipping the second leg, because the layover ticket is sometimes cheaper than the direct ticket. Most airline contracts of carriage prohibit it. The cost-effectiveness rarely survives once baggage fees are factored in (your checked bag goes to the final destination, not the layover).
- Trip total
- The total cost of a booking for all passengers and all legs, including taxes and base fare. Distinct from the per-passenger price most sites display. MakeMyTrip and a few others default to this — easy to misread as a per-person price when comparing across sites.
- True cost
- Synonym for real total. The cost of a flight after factoring in everything you'll actually be charged: bags, seat selection, taxes, and any benefit subtractions from credit cards or status. The number that should drive your booking decision.
- Unbundling
- The pricing strategy where airlines strip services out of the base fare and sell them separately — bags, seat selection, changes, snacks, miles-earning. Pioneered by Spirit Airlines and Ryanair in the late 2000s, now standard across the industry's lowest fare tiers. Unbundling is what makes bait fares mathematically possible.
- Upgrade math
- The decision of whether to pay for the next fare tier up. Worth it when (mid-tier price) is less than (basic-tier price + paid bag fees + paid seat fees). BaggageIQ surfaces this as an "upgrade tip" overlay when the math favours the higher tier — frequently on long-haul Premium Economy and on European carriers' Light vs Standard fares.
Last updated · May 9, 2026