Travelers who fly with American Airlines used to choose from three add-on bundles called Choice, Choice Essential and Choice Plus. Introduced in 2012, these bundles clarified what services passengers would receive and allowed customers to pay more for extra benefits such as checked baggage, priority boarding and flexible change options.
The three bundled options varied by price, cancellation and change policies, and included different combinations of services. The basic Choice fare remains the airline’s standard base fare, offering the most limited set of services. Choice Essential added benefits such as one checked bag and Group 1 boarding for a fee (previously around $58). Choice Plus offered a more comprehensive package — including one checked bag, Group 1 boarding, potential same‑day flight changes without a fee, and premium beverages — for a higher price (previously around $160 per person).
American Airlines plans to remove the Choice Essential and Choice Plus bundles later this year. When those bundled options are discontinued, the Choice base fare will continue as the core offering, but the additional services that were once packaged together will likely be sold separately. That means passengers who want benefits like checked baggage, priority boarding or fee‑free changes may need to purchase each service individually rather than selecting a preconfigured bundle.
The shift away from bundled add‑ons reflects a broader industry trend toward à la carte pricing, where airlines unbundle services so customers pay only for what they use. For travelers, this can offer more flexibility to customize their experience, but it can also make comparing final ticket prices more complicated if individual options are added at checkout. Passengers who regularly use multiple ancillary services should review the updated fees and options once American Airlines publishes the final changes to ensure they choose the most economical way to book their travel.