You can now add bags when you book a flight with Axel
By The Axel Team · · Updated
TL;DR
- As of July 20, you can add checked and carry-on bags while you book your flight with Axel, with no separate trip to the airline site. It works for most airlines we book.
- Checkout shows what your fare already includes before you add anything, so you never pay for a bag you already have.
- We built it because travelers kept asking Axel for it, mid-chat.
As of July 20, you can buy bags the moment you book: checked and carry-on bags are now for sale inside Axel's flight checkout, for most airlines we book. Pick your flight, pick your fare, add your bags, pay once.
Why we built it
Users have asked for this a lot, and we didn't find out from a survey. We picked it up by seeing the messages they were sending to Axel. Real ones, from the weeks before launch: "Does my flight come with a carry-on or checked bag?" "What about aug 6-9 with a carry on bag upgrade". People were asking mid-planning, right where the answer should be. Until now, Axel had to send them off to the airline to finish the job themselves. When the requests come to you in your customers' own words, in the middle of the exact flow where they need it, the roadmap writes itself.
How it works
Right after you choose your fare, checkout shows what that fare already includes, because plenty of fares come with a carry-on or a checked bag, and you should never pay twice for the same bag. Then you add whatever's missing, per traveler, and it all goes on the same booking in the same checkout. You don't need an airline account, a second checkout, or a stop at the counter on travel day.
If an airline doesn't support bags through Axel yet, the option won't appear. We'd rather show you nothing than show you something we can't actually book.
Try it on your next trip: search flights with Axel, and when you hit checkout, your bags are right there.
Questions people ask
Which airlines does this work with?
Most airlines Axel books. When an airline supports it, bag options appear automatically in your checkout. If you don't see them, that airline isn't supported yet.
Will Axel charge me for bags my fare already includes?
No. Checkout shows the bags your fare comes with before you add anything, so you only pay for extras you actually choose.