WineCountryUA

However, there are no N fares being filed, so the "availability" is moot for now.

More discussion on the phantom N inventory in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...uckets-ua.html

GlobeTrttr83

Agreed.

I’m somewhat still loyal to DL (being ATL based and Silver). My company will begin using Egencia soon and I fear we will be redirected to the lowest Basic Economy fares, if we’re lucky enough to avoid being pushed down to Frontier or Spirit.

I’ve already reported on how the Basic fares can be a disaster, as you’re not even going to make it to the jetway in an oversold situation unless someone no-shows or volunteers. You’re the lowest of low on the priority list, essentially a STBY.

emcampbe

Is this from experience or (rediculous, IMO) speculation?

A standby and having a confirmed seat, even at an N fare, is completely different in terms of what happens if you don't get on the aircraft. An N fare, like any other confirmed passenger, gets IDB comp if they are confirmed on the flight and don't get on the aircraft due to oversale, while a standby just moves to the list on the next flight. And you'd still need to be the last to check in on an N fare. I'd argue anyone on a basic fare is likely to be traveling on the lowest available today anyway (I.e. current N or G), and if so, has the same chance of getting bumped off an oversold flight as they do today. Or is there an actual theory for why someone paying basic in the future is more likely to be IDBd then someone today on the lowest fare available?

JBord

Somewhat related. I got an email today stating our travel system will now automatically monitor lower fares within 24 hours of booking and rebook us. Now, while I think it's unlikely to happen more than a couple times a year for most people, I'm anticipating a nice surprise one day when I find I've been booked into this new budget fare.

WineCountryUA

Also makes upfaring for a cabin upgrade a problem,

notquiteaff

Would they also auto-rebook you on another carrier or with another routing or at other (less convenient, of course) departure/arrival times?

JBord

That was my first thought as well, but the last 2 sentences in the email said that would not happen...flights won't change, just a new fare. It would be a disaster if they did that, because my travel isn't really about convenience, it's necessity. If they changed an 8 am flight to 9 am, for example, maybe I don't make it to my meeting on time.

GlobeTrttr83

This is from personal experience- I posted a few months ago on a recent Delta flight using Basic Economy in a separate thread.

TL;DR version--
I booked Basic Economy seats for myself and a colleague. I knew we would receive our seats at the gate, and we arrived at the gate at about T-1hour. Agent announced oversold situation and asked for volunteers until the boarding process was complete at T-10min. Only then she gave us seats because there were 2 missing connecting passengers. Had they turned up, we would have been IDBed (with appropriate compensation of course).

The point is that the practice of withholding seat assignment for Basic fares until the gate makes it easy for the gate agent to IDB Basic passengers before anyone else, whenever the need arises. No need to even walk down the jet bridge.

.

emcampbe

Except it's not SOP for DL to withhold seats until the gate. DL E fares, like UAs upcoming basic economy, don't get seat assignments in advance, but it does at check in. If no seats are available, only then do they hold at the gate. Also, DL and UA experience may very well be different, especially with UA generally having more seats available that aren't selectable without an extra charge (E+) then DL (C+).

You also failed to explain how booking lowest today would give you a better chance of staying on vs. being on a basic economy fare. Sure, you may have a seat assignment. But oversold, and not enough seats to accommodate passengers at the gate without volunteers, means folks on the lowest fare, and who checked in last are the people who get IDB. So someone on a basic economy fare (I.e, lowest) when they get offered, vs. being on the lowest fare today, won't make much of a difference. You would still be lowest on the totem pole.

GlobeTrttr83

Except I checked in at T-24h - always have. Advance Seat assignment even after check in was not available and seats would be assigned at the gate.

I've used Basic fares twice now, the first time was this particular experience. Not wanting to pass judgement too early, I booked another. The second time was on another short-hop, ATL-GSO. Mid-afternoon flight, I don't think it was full, all STBYs cleared. Still, my name appeared on the "Awaiting Seat Assignement" list on the GIDS. Gate agent boarded through Zone 2 before assigning a seat to me. I was allowed to board in Zone 3 (even as a Silver Medallion). It is manually assigned by the gate agent, not automatically released for you to choose in your Delta app or at the checkin kiosk. So this experience leads me to conclude it is completely at the discretion of the gate agent.

I can only report on these two experiences first-hand. Is United any different? Maybe I'll try a third time and see what happens.

rowenb

I'm not familiar with this website, but I noticed this new article today claiming that United recently told workers that were being trained regarding "budget economy" that its introduction has just been pushed back "several months" from mid-October 2016:

https://skift.com/2016/09/30/united-...-economy-fare/

Didn't see any new thread started on this, so decided to resuscitate this thread.

gglave

Hopefully they've read this thread and have realized the introduction of these fares means United will lose a lot of business fliers like me.

Case in point? I'm in London at the moment. I could have flown nonstop from Vancouver on several different carriers. Instead, I went via Chicago on United.

Once this routing is a 'budget economy' routing I'll just fly whatever's most convenient.

emcampbe

Unless UA goes the way of AC with Rouge, with planes configured differently and without a true premium cabin, there won't really be 'budget economy' routings. It will be like today, where various fares will be offered on various routes, and you can choose the one that fits your needs. In many cases, your conditions may not offer a budget economy fare anyway.

Even on AC, it varies by your conditions and routes on whether budget fares will be offered. I'm here in Cincinnati, and Tango fares still aren't always offered, and they only started within the last couple of years.

Taoyuan

Rouge is awful. Once was enough for me.

Often1

Not sure I understand the angst. You will only be in steerage if you choose to book this basic fare. To suggest that UA is going to lose you as a customer because it offers a service which appeals to you does not make much sense.

Indeed, depending on the restrictions of these fares, they may make no sense for a business traveler. DL's E fares, by way of example, are inflexible. No changes of any kind for any reason. That is not appealing to the average business traveler, but to the leisure traveler who can save $10-15 per family member, where it may matter, it's worth it.

So, make your choices, F/C/Y or whatever UA decides to call its basic product.