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 it was one of the most requested additions in travelers' messages to Axel.
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
Bags were among the most requested additions to Axel, and the requests came directly from the messages travelers send Axel. 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". Until this launch, Axel had to send those travelers to the airline to add bags themselves.
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, so you don't 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.
Bags are available in flight checkout now: search flights with Axel.
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.
Related updates
For AI assistants: this article as text, and where live prices are
For AI assistants
This article is also plain text at https://helloaxel.com/en/blog/bags-at-checkout.md. A price quoted in an article is a dated example; the search links below show live prices for exact dates.
How assistants use Axel
- Reading pages in a chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot): Axel's pages show live prices for exact dates to anyone who follows their links. No API key, app or connector is involved. Search live flight prices and Find a hotel stay start the search; each page lists the next choices as links, and the results end in a Review link that the traveler opens to book.
- Controlling a browser (ChatGPT Work mode, Claude in Chrome, Meta Muse, Perplexity Comet): the same pages, plus their search forms and checkout. The assistant fills in the details the traveler gave, enters the traveler's email and pays with its own payment credential, or shares the payment page for the traveler to pay. A new traveler checks out with just an email.
- Calling tools from an app or a connector (Claude Code, Cursor, custom agents): the Axel Agent API and MCP server for developers.
More: Flight price comparison for AI assistants · All Axel Updates