Originally Posted by
tatterdema
I rarely use the overhead,
You can bring a carry on. I believe that the only airline that still doesn't let you do that on a basic economy fare is United. You may have to end up gate-checking.
do not care about same day change, and can deal with whatever seat they assign me, so I think I will be fine with the saver fares. Will see with time I guess.
You can pick a seat too, including window or aisle. It has to be near the back of the plane though.
If you don't have status, basic economy is a pretty good deal. Most of the good seats required you to be elite to pick anyway, so you are not losing much.
If you do have status, the benefits that they advertise that you get for "free" now cost you $20-$30 per segment to use. In other words, it's a scam, against their best customers. I'm curious to see how it plays out. It's kind of a big gamble. Once they lose a customer to an airline with a better network and better product, it's hard to see them getting that customer back. The main benefit of AS if their frequent flyer program, and that value is taking a big hit right now.