Chase Travel Portal Now Lets You Bypass Basic Economy Fares
Anya Kartashova March 27, 2018
A few weeks ago, we wrote about Hipmunk and its new search tool that displays basic economy fares when searching for a flight. Other search engines are following suit, and now the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal gives you an option to eliminate basic economy fares from your search.
Why You Want to Avoid Basic Economy Fares
Basic economy fares come with many restrictions, and they get worse and worse depending on the airline you fly. Some don’t allow you to pick a seat in advance or make any changes to the fare, and others don’t let you bring a carry-on bag or earn elite status miles. The problem is, it’s not always apparent which ticket you’re buying when shopping for a flight online, even if it says “economy” in the fare description.
Not all economy tickets are created equal, and there are additional sub-fare classes you need to be aware of when booking flights online. For example, Delta Air Lines offers basic economy, main cabin and Comfort Plus seats—all different levels of economy.
Delta’s basic economy fares don’t offer a seat selection (it’s assigned at the gate), ticket changes or early boarding. If you hold one of the co-branded Delta SkyMiles credit cards, a basic economy ticket isn’t that bad because you still get to board in Zone 1 and have enough space in the overhead bins for your carry-on. And if you check a bag, it’s free for co-branded credit card members.
Still, not everyone wants to fly without being able to choose a seat, especially on long transcontinental or international flights. And if you’re able to save time and not have to click through to the airline’s site just to find out the affordable fare you chose is in basic economy, that’s good news.
In Conclusion
Now that more search engines make it easier for you to eliminate basic economy, you can choose the fare class you want without having to waste time when shopping for a flight online. Hopefully, more search engines get on board and display all important fare details upfront.
Do you buy basic economy fares or avoid them like the plague?
For those of us who are old enough to remember the basic rule of commercial transportation is to get you from "here" to "there", "basic economy" serves the purpose well ~ and there are likewise some terrific price bargains therein. I do fault those airlines that are shrinking already-small toilet facilities. What's next: "Disposable plastic seat covers; pee in your pants; here's a towel"?
I definitely avoid basic economy. The real news story is that "basic economy" costs more than regular economy did just a few months back. It still amazes me that I can fly to Singapore from the US for substantially less than a US domestic 2-3 hr flight.
I always avoid basic economy, well,, all economy unless it's a very short flight.
Actually, if you have elite status, you still get lounge access and free baggage, and usually they give you a better seat even though you are not entitled to it. United seems to be YMMV regarding seats, but the other airlines are more generous, so I use these fares all the time
I avoid basic economy. I think it's a scam to get people to pay more.