Airlines are always looking for ways to segment their consumer base, in order to get as much revenue from each passenger as possible. Over the years, weve seen just about all major US airlines introduce extra legroom economy seating, intended both as a reward for elite members, and as an ancillary revenue opportunity.
Continue reading: Guide To United Airlines Economy Plus: Is It Worth It?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
As a non-status steerage passenger I ended up buying the year long pass for our upcoming trip to PPT. It was like $100 more than buying seats. However it’s a bit of a unique situation in that it’s the anniversary honeymoon we never took and I’m boxed into Economy award tickets. Economy Plus on the IAD-SFO widebody though does give us access to the normally Premier Plus purple seats so I’m saying it’s Premium Economy Minus.
Great analysis Ben. Economy Plus is way behind the competition. However it's still better than AC "Preferred Seat" which is just at the front of the aircraft!
Hmmm… It seems that United ought to change this to better compete with the rest of the world. They are trying to change/modernize their product.
The flip side is that United has far more Economy Plus seats than any other US carrier operating the same aircraft type, which means for elites, it's much easier to snag one, especially for low level elites that only get them at checkin. The lack of extra services is, at least for elites, balanced out by how much easier it is to secure a seat. Definitely makes buying the seat with cash a worse deal though.
Exactly this. It's the best available scenario for elites (good availability) and the worst case for cash buyers (low reward).
Delta Airlines cannot keep straight even the simplest booking. When ready to board a flight from NYC to London, Delta claimed I hadn’t paid, which I had. Agents delayed me, missed my flight until the following day, and couldn’t attend a family event. Delta refused to compensate me for their mistake!
I bought the economy plus subscription but it does not show up in my mileage plus account. Other comments on reddit have the same issues. 5 agents later plus 2.5 hours of chat could not resolve the issue. Don't buy it!
so youre saying the economy plus subscription is not worth it. i plan on a trip from newark to italy and was wondering if i could upgrade to premium economy with the economy plus subscription
All you get for thr extra costs is nothing. You pay for your meals, bag and you don’t even board until the end; will never fly on United again.
Purchased Economy plus for my daughter to attend a family reunion. Went from Cleveland to Denver with a wider seat more legroom but from Denver to Medford ore … nothing special, just cattle call seats. Going home, got premium from Medford to Denver and then cattle call. Don’t think that is how it’s supposed to work. Won’t be using this airline until they get this sorted out!