I’m generally not a fan of the basic economy concept. I sort of get that the legacies wanted to create a way to segment the market such that they could simultaneously compete with the low cost carriers, and still offer the benefits of a mainline carrier.
Continue reading: When Does It Make Sense For A United Premier To Book A Basic Economy Ticket?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I’ve never seen that type of fare difference on AA or Delta. So no moral quandaries for me ...
I don't have elite status but I just bought BE for me and my 2 year old daughter. Seating is 2x2 on a CRJ and I don't care where we sit as long as we're together.
I use Delta BE all the time. If you check in at 24 hours (like Southwest), you can usually see your assigned seat, and more importantly, can change it (still in Economy, but hey...) Only once have I been unable to do so. Since I have their credit card, I still get Zone 1 boarding, so my backpack overhead is no issue. So, BE for me is a good way to travel and same some money....
You can also credit basic economy fares to other programs. UA basic economy seems to be elite qualifying in all *A FFPs other than MileagePlus.
"which is a great benefit of being a United Premier 1K, Platinum, or Global Services member" According to the page you also receive free SDC as a gold member. https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/reservations/same-day-change.html
I'm assuming you've never tried to book a close-in ticket with American? I routinely see sub-$100 BE fares with $400+ buy-ups to Main Cabin.
Now @Travis if you booked NK at the airport will $45 difference be enough to give up your 1k benefits? I know I would. Assume you have the club card, that should fill you up enough before and after the flight. I'll take that 45+28 from PP to have a nice steak at DEN.
I never really needed the IRROPS protections for work as I can work remotely (assume you are the same). Clients most of the time understand and share the same frustration for IRROPS. For vacation on the other hand, every hour counts and I would love the protections.
UA needs to up their game fast. The Kirby & CO still hasn't performed.
I have asked United about their Basic Economy fares. Here's the response:
Dear Prof. Schober:
Please forgive our delayed response.
Our Basic Economy fares for our Trans/Atlantic routes allows PQM, PQD, PQS and Lifetime miles earnings.
Permitted or included:
Advance seat assignments
Economy Plus seat assignments
Carry-on bag
PQM, PQD, PQS and Lifetime miles earnings
Packages and Premier Access
Thank you again for contacting United Airlines.
Regards,
xxxx
United Airlines
Eskimo -- I think you are asking the most additional I'll pay to fly United basic economy instead of Spirit or Frontier. I'm not sure exactly to be honest. Maybe I'll do a post on that.
Kay-Uwe -- Maybe I'm missing something, but if basic economy includes all that, what's the difference between basic and regular economy? At any rate, I hope you are right.
As a Lifetime 1K on UA, I never have to worry about re-qualifying but I still shun BE. I have learned over the years how to shrink my overall travel expense to a ridiculously low level while maintaining a near 100% premium experience. Travel is a passion and I do not feel compelled to squeeze the last nickel out of each trip. When BE is a viable cost option (which it rarely is) it's usually because there is a "Spirit" lurking in the wings of that city-pair.
For the extreme case, rather than booking BE, I have found a way to make the Spirit experience workable and in fact, enjoyable: Snag a "Big Front Seat" at time of purchase which is similar to most domestic F/C on legacy carriers, self cater, check in on line, ship your bag home via UPS/Fedex Ground and enjoy the ride.
Note: On Spirit, if you don't ship, watch your bag's size and weight very closely or risk getting "dinged" at the airport for $100.00 per offending bag (I have seen grown men cry at Spirit counters). It only takes an inch or a pound and UPS is cheaper than Spirit's bag fees.
@Travis: I was confused too. I wanted to make sure to get my 4 segments for PP qualification this year. That's why I am contacted United. On a second email they confirmed that all normal benefits apply also on domestic connecting flights. So the difference is: no upgrades.
Great post, Travis! I fly ORD – DEN a lot and have been seeing similarly astonishing price differences between N (basic) fares and "regular" economy. I totally agree – it's increasingly difficult to justify avoiding these fares...