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United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ...Now cancellable for a fee

Old Nov 15, 2016, 1:38 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: jsloan
Related thread: Basic Economy Airport and Plane Experiences (First or Second Hand)

If purchased on united.com you will have to accept a warning about choosing Basic Economy and there will be orange "Basic Economy" highlights everywhere during the booking process.

Link to UA's description of how these fares will work: Basic Economy.

Here are the key facts:
  • No free seat assignments until check-in. Seats will be assigned by the system. Flyers (including elite) have the option to purchase regular economy and preferred economy (white seats with black triangle on seat map) seats after ticket purchase. E+ seats are not available for purchase until check-in. If you dont purchase an advance seat assignment, your seat will be automatically assigned to you prior to boarding, and you won't be able to change your seat once it's been assigned.
  • No guarantee of adjacent seats with companions
  • No voluntary ticket changes after 24 hour purchase period (1K's have successfully used Same Day Standby and received a confirmed seat without penalty)
  • Carry on limited to one personal item unless the customer is a MP Premier member, primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card, or Star Alliance *G, or traveling on an international BE product
  • Customers ineligible for carry-on who bring one to the gate will be charged a $25 convenience fee to gate-check in addition to standard baggage fees (source: @united twitter)
  • Customers are not eligible for premium cabin upgrades either via CPU, mileage upgrade award or PlusPoints
  • Customers will board in the last boarding group (currently Group 5) unless the customer is a MP Premier member, primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card, or Star Alliance *G, or traveling on an international BE product
  • Companions on same PNR will have same boarding group and carry-on if one on the PNR has a waiver
  • No combinability with regular economy fares or partner carriers. Interline travel is not permitted.
  • Normal PQPs / RDMs based on fare and elite multipliers
  • No PQFs
  • Flight(s) do count towards the 4 flight minimum for UA-operated
  • Lifetime mileage
  • Domestic Basic Economy tickets will use booking code 'N'. International BE can be in any class.
  • Online check-in only with paid checked bag, otherwise need to see a United representative to verify the onboard bag allowance and receive a boarding pass
  • Canceling a basic economy ticket will receive a flight credit for the price of the ticket, minus a fee. For domestic flights, the fee is $49.50 for one-way tickets and $99 for roundtrip tickets. For international flights, the fee is $99.50 for one-way tickets and $199 for roundtrip tickets
In air, passengers will receive the same standard economy inflight amenities including United Economy dining options, inflight entertainment, United Wi-Fi (availability depending on the flight)

To avoid domestic BE fares ITA Matrix ~bc=N . Ignoring them on international flights is much trickier because they do not have a consistent pattern in the fare basis; it appears to change by market / region. (That said, as UA is lifting BE from legacy GDS systems, it may result in them disappearing from ITA Matrix anyway).

Google Flights -- select 1 Carry-on bag

NO UNUSED TICKET MAY BE USED TOWARD THE PURCHASE
OF A BASIC ECONOMY TICKET.
-------
NO RESIDUAL VALUE MAY BE USED TOWARD THE PURCHASE
OF A BASIC ECONOMY TICKET.

How is this different from buying up BE to regular economy?

related threads
New UA/*A TATL -LGT Economy fare - no free first bag, no changes/upgrades allowed

Benefit impact of restricted economy fares on UA Elites (Basic Econ, -LGT, Light Econ

Pre-announcement speculation thread (now closed) New "Budget Economy" fares

United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ... {Archive}


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United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ...Now cancellable for a fee

Old Mar 27, 2022, 6:02 am
  #61  
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 153
Economy Basic Seating

Hi all! I have read some conflicting information about seat assignments for economy basic on United. Do they allow changes within the economy zone at check-in?

I bought a seat for my return flight (about 12 days from now) but it looks like they just assigned one for my outgoing (2 days from now). Does that mean everyone currently ticketed has also been assigned?

Thanks,

Sean

Last edited by Seanish; Mar 27, 2022 at 6:59 am
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Old Mar 27, 2022, 1:51 pm
  #62  
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Originally Posted by Seanish
Hi all! I have read some conflicting information about seat assignments for economy basic on United. Do they allow changes within the economy zone at check-in? ...
Voluntary - no. You do not get to chose you seat, UA will do that. Occasionally, such as minor children, you may be able to request a change

Originally Posted by Seanish
I bought a seat for my return flight (about 12 days from now) but it looks like they just assigned one for my outgoing (2 days from now). Does that mean everyone currently ticketed has also been assigned? ...
UA sometimes will start assigning BE seats about 2 days out and other times not til check-in or even at the gate. Suspect a less full flight UA will start earlier. UA has a lot of information that is not public. How many have BE, how many regular economy that have not yet chosen a seat assignment, how many are eligible for Economy Plus, how many last minute tickets are purchased, .... those and other factors will impact what UA does.

Originally Posted by Seanish
... Does that mean everyone currently ticketed has also been assigned? ...
There can be a lot of seat assignment changes in the last 24 hours.
  • Airline employees can travel for free but can not get a seat assignment until day of travel However they are very aware of how to read the read seatmap and pick the best available seats
  • People whose travel gets messed up can get assigned to your flight
  • People on other flights will scan for a flight with empty seats and switch for free in the last 24 hours
  • The seats with black triangle in the lower left hand corner become free to any non-BE passenger in the last 24 hours -- so some stuck further back may move forward
  • The lowest level elite, Silver, will initially pick a regular economy seat but move to Economy Plus in the last 24 hours (when their access becomes free)
  • .... and other less frequent reasons

Not having BE ticket gives others more choices / freedom to move about.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Mar 27, 2022 at 1:51 pm Reason: more
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Old Mar 30, 2022, 4:28 pm
  #63  
 
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MDW has a Q class ticket for a work trip (thanks, Concur.) Can this ticket be upgraded for cash? Only thing we can't do is buy another ticket.
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Old Mar 30, 2022, 5:22 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by iplaybass
MDW has a Q class ticket for a work trip (thanks, Concur.) Can this ticket be upgraded for cash? Only thing we can't do is buy another ticket.
This is a Q-class BE ticket? Is it showing Q or N as the booking class? N will be problematic to upgrade; Q should be no problem
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Old Mar 30, 2022, 6:20 pm
  #65  
 
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Originally Posted by iplaybass
MDW has a Q class ticket for a work trip (thanks, Concur.) Can this ticket be upgraded for cash? Only thing we can't do is buy another ticket.
I assume it is a TATL or TPAC ticket, since N is not the booking class? If it's BE, can't be upgraded, regardless of booking class.
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Old Mar 30, 2022, 6:29 pm
  #66  
 
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Originally Posted by cfischer
This is a Q-class BE ticket? Is it showing Q or N as the booking class? N will be problematic to upgrade; Q should be no problem
Evidently, I didn't wait long enough. Originally, I tried to upgrade and got "This ticket is not eligible for upgrade." All good now. It wasn't "Basic Economy", but she couldn't select seats; they were assigned, and couldn't be changed, so that's why I thought it was BE.

Either that, or United hates my wife. Still not accepting her seat assignments for our STL-ORD-CDG September trip. Showing as open on EF, too.
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Old Apr 5, 2022, 6:14 am
  #67  
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Is there any situation where it may make sense to buy basic economy tpac fare when the price difference is about $60 with regular economy? I think it doesn't earn PQF except for the four UA segments. I know there is no free seat selection, but is there any way around this? I want to have money whenever j can, but if it doesn't make any sense ill cough up the money and buy economy. I'm currently a UA Silver.
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Old Apr 5, 2022, 9:31 am
  #68  
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Originally Posted by lsquare
Is there any situation where it may make sense to buy basic economy tpac fare when the price difference is about $60 with regular economy? ....
Changeability is another significant downside to BE.
And as mention free advance seat selection

$60 incremental for a TPAC and gain the above is a personal choice.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 5, 2022 at 9:38 am
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Old Apr 7, 2022, 9:36 am
  #69  
 
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So I'm flying regular economy as a 1K and have a friend flying BE on the same flight as me on different PNRs. I was just going to check in my friend's bag under my baggage allowance, but wondering if the check in or gate agents would allow them to bring it on since effectively UA has to carry it anyway. Airport agents on all airlines, including where I have no status, have usually been cooperative in doing seat assignments on BE tickets even though they are not supposed to, so I wonder if they will accommodate the carry on bag as well, or at worst, gate check it on my PNR for free as 1K.
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Old Apr 7, 2022, 5:11 pm
  #70  
 
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My guess is they won't let your friend carry on unless it is a VERY empty flight and it wouldn't force someone else (not BE) to gate check.

It doesn't hurt to ask but I wouldn't count on it!

Shouldn't have a problem checking it under your name either at the counter or at the gate.
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Old Apr 7, 2022, 6:25 pm
  #71  
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Originally Posted by abcx
So I'm flying regular economy as a 1K and have a friend flying BE on the same flight as me on different PNRs. I was just going to check in my friend's bag under my baggage allowance, but wondering if the check in or gate agents would allow them to bring it on since effectively UA has to carry it anyway. Airport agents on all airlines, including where I have no status, have usually been cooperative in doing seat assignments on BE tickets even though they are not supposed to, so I wonder if they will accommodate the carry on bag as well, or at worst, gate check it on my PNR for free as 1K.
Have the friend board with you during preboard or group 1. It should be fine then. If the friend waits to group 5 the agent will be primed to deny.
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Old Apr 7, 2022, 7:25 pm
  #72  
 
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Originally Posted by threeoh
My guess is they won't let your friend carry on unless it is a VERY empty flight and it wouldn't force someone else (not BE) to gate check.

It doesn't hurt to ask but I wouldn't count on it!

Shouldn't have a problem checking it under your name either at the counter or at the gate.
Originally Posted by fumje
Have the friend board with you during preboard or group 1. It should be fine then. If the friend waits to group 5 the agent will be primed to deny.
Thanks, makes sense! Will they try to charge me for gate checking the bag? I know I won't be charged if I check it in in advance, but not sure what the rules are around gate checking. Like obviously everyone can't just try to gate check. I guess I could try to ask a check in agent...

I think it's a pretty empty flight fwiw.
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Old Apr 7, 2022, 7:37 pm
  #73  
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Originally Posted by abcx
Thanks, makes sense! Will they try to charge me for gate checking the bag? I know I won't be charged if I check it in in advance, but not sure what the rules are around gate checking. Like obviously everyone can't just try to gate check. I guess I could try to ask a check in agent...

I think it's a pretty empty flight fwiw.
They might want to charge if the BE passenger is gate checking, but otherwise, no, they won't tend to try collecting a charge.
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Old Apr 7, 2022, 11:15 pm
  #74  
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Is there a way to defeat most of the BE restrictions with 1K and UA credit cards? Doesn't seem like there is.
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Old Apr 7, 2022, 11:31 pm
  #75  
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Originally Posted by lsquare
Is there a way to defeat most of the BE restrictions with 1K and UA credit cards? Doesn't seem like there is.
Status allows a checked bag and carryon, What other restriction are you trying to avoid? E+ selection, upgrades or changeability, those are a no go. If status waived everything, it makes BE price discount meaningless

More here, https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...onomy.html#mpp
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