UA Insider

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give you a heads up that ticket change/cancel fees in certain markets (other than those mentioned upthread) will increase effective today, May 15. Here’s a quick summary:
These fees will only be applicable for tickets issued on or after May 15th, and fee information will be available in the fare rules when purchasing a ticket. Finally, one note about these changes – as you may know, U.S. antitrust laws limit United’s ability, and that of its competitors, to provide advance notice of certain pricing actions. However, in the interest of transparency, I wanted to make sure that you all had an overview, in a consolidated format.

Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager – Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines

sfozrhfco

Wow, sounds great!!!

FiveMileFinal

Lulz. Only a month after United silently bumped the fees and prompted a 400+-post FT discussion do we get the official announcement.

This airline continues to find new ways to amaze. Yet people keep flying it...

RJNYC

There are now tickets with $450 change fees? Wow.

Red_Rob

I had a P fare to Europe with a $500 change fee last year.

star_world

I think you misread the post.

fastair

My guess is this ISN'T the same as before, but a spreading of before. The last 1 was effective 18Apr, this is effective today. I believe this is adding markets that were not included in last onth's increase.

So as to "the official announcement" coming a month later, I think that this is an additional one, announced on the same day it was implimented, so your ascertation of being late to the party is incorrect. UA Insider was on a month ago, announcing that (I think 1 day late, but nowhere near a month.)

uastarflyer

Yes today's announcement simply communicates the dreck is expanding to more markets.

Meanwhile, southwest today announced double EQM (points metric) is being extended to June 15. Zero change fees, zero baggage fees.

burlax

Correct

Savvy Traveler

And of course most large airlines have matched this. So where do we go if we're sick of these outrageous fees? Southwest, with no international service or partners?

I'm disgusted with most of the US airline industry at the moment. $200 for a few clicks on a keyboard is DISHONEST and should be prohibited by law. It's about one step shy of collusion that the other key players in this oligopoly have matched United's increase.

Airlines should be forced to price their products honestly and not rely on fee revenue to break even.

uastarflyer

Yes - Southwest for domestic and international flagged carriers for international.

Better on board service, better airport treatment, better on change fees and bag fees.

Book away my friends, book away!

FiveMileFinal

Sorry, my bad. Let me not get it twisted. I guess now that it's spreading makes it all better.

The world's leading airline should obviously have the world's leading change fee, am I right? (h/t Channa)

Now if only the Kettles would listen...

Savvy Traveler

I feel cornered. I hate Southworst and Virgin America's route network isn't big enough (and their ff program sucks).

Maybe it's time to go Virgin network as Virgin America continues to grow. I hope the Virgin brand keeps growing and creates a fourth alliance of its own.

fastair

And of course, make all non-refundable tickets exactly that, including non-exchangable, after all, if you bought the seat on that flight, just like at Wrigley Field, there is no credit, no exchange, and no refund (although you can sell it for face value to another, which is different than the airlines.) I mean, you bought it, you took it out of inventory where it could not be resold (at least for a time, maybe even beyond the typical booking window,) no point in a fee, just make you lose 100% of the purchase price.

uastarflyer

I can give the ticket to someone else to use though at Wrigley. Or EBay it. Or do many other things. It isn't restricted to one named individual.

With that out of the way, I would be curious to understand why southwest is wrong and United is right.