CINCINNATI — Airfares are rising for Thanksgiving and Christmas week travel as planes become increasingly full.

With the average fare over $300 and up almost 10% in 2025, according to the consumer price index, a basic economy fare may look tempting.

But watch out: one major airline is now charging $65 to bring a roller bag along if you're a basic economy passenger, meaning you'll have to watch your savings fly out the plane window.

Traveler Shannon Nesmith is OK with flying as cheaply as possible, at least on short flights.

"I think it's a good thing if you are going on a short trip and you get there very quickly," she said.

So when I recently needed to fly to Newark, New Jersey, I decided to book a $229 round trip on United in basic economy. The regular economy fare would have been

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