FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Benefit impact of restricted economy fares on UA Elites (Basic Econ, -LGT, Light Econ
Old Oct 23, 2018, 6:15 pm
  #10  
FlyerTalker70
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Originally Posted by findark
A big source of confusion here is that "Economy Light" is not the marketing name of a United product. It's unclear what product or status the OP is referring to, so I made a quick chart to illustrate the differences.

Within the US, United will market Basic Economy fares. These always have a booking code of N -- you have a Basic Economy ticket if and only if you have a booking code of N. This is the most restrictive type of fare United sells.

In European TATL markets, United sells a fare listed as Economy (first bag charge/no changes allowed). Because this is a mouthful to say, and because it aligns with the same offering from European carriers, this is usually called "Economy Light" here on FT. These fares use normal Economy booking codes, but the last three letters of the fare basis are LGT.

The chart shows some of the allowances, depending on whether you are a United Premier Gold, or Star Alliance Gold through a different airline's FFP.






Code:
Basic Economy (N) -LGT Fares (normal rbd)
Benefit (domestic only) (European TATL markets)
UA Gold OAL *G UA Gold OAL *G
================================================================
3x70 (UA)
Baggage Allowance 2x70 1x50 1x50 (OAL) 1x50

Full-sized carryon Yes Yes Yes Yes

Group 1 boarding Yes Yes Yes Yes

Economy Plus No No Yes No

E- Seat Selection $$ $$ Yes Yes

Upgrades No No No No

Changes (incl. SDC) No No No No

Lounge Access No [1] Yes Yes Yes

MP Premier Credit No No Yes Yes

[1] No access for UA*G on a domestic itinerary in any cabin
Just thought I’d add that lounge access is available on UA domestic flights for UA Gold and above so long as you don’t access United Clubs. For instance, flying Economy Basic from LAX to EWR you could access the AC Maple Leaf lounge or Star Alliance lounge. Surprisingly, there are a number of airports in the US that feature *A Gold lounges not operated by UA. This is all outlined in this spreadsheet.

I will be travelling to LA LA land in March from LHR in UA’s Norwegian fare (then back to LHR from EWR) and will report back on my experiences as Gold.

Safe Travels,

James
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