Originally Posted by
nerdbirdsjc
I expect the change fee waivers and ETC options to remain in place for the remainder of 2020. There's really no upside to United to ditch them anytime soon.
I disagree. In good times, ancillary fees are a gigantic source of profit for UA. Furthermore, they have a decade's worth of revenue management tools built upon the assumption of punitive change fees. The current waivers are turning that on its head; it's virtually impossible for UA to tell the actual load on any given flight right now.
UA, and the other US carriers, will ditch these policies as soon as it's competitive to do so. Given that UA has said that demand seems to be turning a corner, that might well be as soon as the end of this month. They can always reinstate the waivers if it turns out to be necessary.