Taking a domestic flight in the United States: airlines, baggage and security

In the United States, people take the plane the way we take the train at home. Hundreds of flights link the big cities every day, and a short hop can replace two days on the motorway.

On our road trip from New York to Florida, we spent two full days on I-95 heading south. It was planned and we went in knowing it, but we could also have flown, which would have cost us a day too.

When the plane beats the road

Journey	By car	By plane
New York – Miami	2 days (2,050 km)	3 hrs
Washington – Orlando	13 hrs (1,400 km)	2 hrs 20
Chicago – Denver	15 hrs (1,600 km)	2 hrs 30
Las Vegas – San Francisco	9 hrs (900 km)	1 hr 30
Los Angeles – Seattle	18 hrs (1,850 km)	2 hrs 45
Denver – Salt Lake City	8 hrs (830 km)	1 hr 20

Add two hours at the airport before the flight and an hour on arrival. Under five or six hours’ driving, the car remains simpler. Beyond that, work out what your holiday days are worth.

Flying also lets you combine two regions in the same trip: the East Coast then the West, or the Utah parks then Yellowstone.

The full calculation: to the price of the tickets, add the baggage and the journey to the airport, and take away the fuel, the overnight stops and any one-way fee on the car (see car rental).

The airlines

• The big four: American, Delta, United and Southwest. They serve the whole country.
• Alaska Airlines and JetBlue: good airlines, the first mainly on the West Coast and the second on the East Coast.
• Ultra-low-cost airlines, such as Frontier, Allegiant or Spirit: the ticket is very cheap, but everything is extra, carry-on bag included, and flights are infrequent. If one is cancelled, the next may be two days later.

For a trip where every day counts, we prefer a big airline with several flights a day on the route.

Booking

• One-way tickets cost half a return: there’s no need to make a loop.
• Compare on Google Flights, then book on the airline’s website.
• Three to six weeks ahead is generally enough, more around Thanksgiving, Christmas and in summer.
• Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days.
• Avoid the last flight of the day: if it’s cancelled, you’ll be spending the night there.

Read the fare. The headline price, called Basic Economy, often includes no seat selection and no changes, and sometimes no carry-on bag. The Main Cabin or Economy fare costs 30 to 50 dollars more and avoids nasty surprises.

Baggage

This is the big difference from a transatlantic flight: nothing is included.

Bag	Usual price per flight
Small bag under the seat	Free
Carry-on bag	Free on the big airlines, charged for on low-cost airlines
First checked suitcase (23 kg)	$35 to $45
Second suitcase	$45 to $60
Suitcase over 23 kg	$100 and up

Pay for bags online, in advance: it’s cheaper than at the counter. Southwest, long known for its two free suitcases, now charges for them too.

If your domestic flight is on the same ticket as your transatlantic flight, the long-haul allowance applies: an argument for booking everything together.

At the airport

Check-in is done online from 24 hours before the flight. At the airport kiosks, you print the tag for your suitcase yourself before dropping it at the counter.

The security check (TSA)

• Arrive two hours ahead, three in the very big airports during holiday periods.
• Liquids: containers of 100 ml maximum, in a clear bag.
• Laptops and tablets come out of the bag, unless told otherwise.
• Shoes now stay on your feet in most airports.
• Solid food goes through without a problem: sandwiches, fruit, snacks.
• An empty water bottle can be filled after the check.

The TSA PreCheck and CLEAR queues are reserved for travellers enrolled in those American programmes.

No immigration or customs on a domestic flight: you walk straight out to the baggage carousels, where anyone can come in. Collect your suitcases without delay.

What can’t go on the plane

• Bear spray: banned in both the cabin and the hold. Rent it on the spot or leave it with other travellers before you go.
• Gas canisters for stoves.
• Power banks and spare lithium batteries in the hold: they go in the cabin.
• Cannabis, even bought legally, and even between two states where it’s permitted (see our article).
• Knives in the cabin. They go in the hold.

On board

• Seats are assigned at booking or at check-in. Without paying extra, a couple may be separated: check in as soon as it opens.
• Boarding is by groups, announced over the loudspeaker. The last groups find no room left for their carry-on bag, which then goes in the hold for free.
• Soft drinks and a small snack are free. Meals are charged for, except on very long flights.
• Wifi is increasingly often free.

In the event of a delay or cancellation

There’s no American equivalent of the European regulation: no fixed compensation for a delay. On the other hand:

• If the flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decide not to travel, the airline must refund you, automatically.
• The airline rebooks you at no charge on its next available flight.
• Meals and a hotel are offered by most of the big airlines when the delay is their fault, not when it’s caused by the weather.

Use the airline’s app to change flights yourself: it’s faster than the queue at the counter. And check what your travel insurance covers (see insurance).

Connections

• An hour at least in a medium-sized airport, an hour and a half in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver or Newark.
• On a single ticket, your bags follow you, and the airline rebooks you if you miss the connection.
• With two separate tickets, you collect and re-check your suitcases, and nobody owes you anything if there’s a delay.

The car at both ends

Returning a car at the departure airport and picking up another on arrival amounts to two separate rentals, and therefore no one-way fee. Airport rental offices are open late, and a shuttle links the terminals to the rental centre.

For flights from Belgium, see finding your flights.