Feb 9, 2019, 5:12 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread -- the active thread is United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ...
Important Note: these fares became available 21 Feb 2017 for MSP for travel beginning 18 Apr 2017. More markets were added 19 April 2017 for travel starting 9 May 2017.
Related thread: Basic Economy Airport and Plane Experiences (First or Second Hand)
If you booked before the dates above, you did not have a BE fare. If purchased on united.com you will see a warning like:
4. MileagePlus members will earn full Premier qualifying dollars, 50% Premier qualifying miles and 0.5 Premier qualifying segments for each flight, as well as lifetime miles and toward the four-segment minimum.
Link to UA's description of how these fares will work: Basic Economy.
Here are the key facts:
related threads
New UA/*A TATL -LGT Economy fare - no free first bag, no changes/upgrades allowed
Benefit impact of restricted economy fares on UA Elites (Basic Econ, -LGT, Light Econ
Pre-announcement speculation thread (now closed) New "Budget Economy" fares
Important Note: these fares became available 21 Feb 2017 for MSP for travel beginning 18 Apr 2017. More markets were added 19 April 2017 for travel starting 9 May 2017.
Related thread: Basic Economy Airport and Plane Experiences (First or Second Hand)
If you booked before the dates above, you did not have a BE fare. If purchased on united.com you will see a warning like:
4. MileagePlus members will earn full Premier qualifying dollars, 50% Premier qualifying miles and 0.5 Premier qualifying segments for each flight, as well as lifetime miles and toward the four-segment minimum.
Link to UA's description of how these fares will work: Basic Economy.
Here are the key facts:
- No seat assignments until check-in. Seats will be assigned by the system and cannot be changed.*NEW* When purchasing a Basic Economy ticket, you will not receive a complimentary seat assignment but may be able to purchase advance seat assignments during booking and up until check-in opens. If you don’t purchase an advance seat assignment, your seat will be automatically assigned to you prior to boarding, and you won't be able to change your seat once it's been assigned.
- No guarantee of adjacent seats with companions
- No voluntary ticket changes after 24 hour purchase period
- Carry on limited to 1 personal item unless the customer is a MP Premier member, primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card, or Star Alliance *G
- Customers ineligible for carry-on who bring one to the gate will be charged a $25 convenience fee to gate-check in addition to standard baggage fees (source: @united twitter)
- Customers will not be eligible for Economy Plus or premium cabin upgrades. This includes all forms of upgrades (CPU,supported or purchased). Likewise for E+ access (elite or purchased).
- Customers will board in the last boarding group (currently Group 5) unless the customer is a MP Premier member, primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card, or Star Alliance *G
- Companions on same PNR will have same boarding group and carryon if one on the PNR has a waiver
- No combinability with regular economy fares or partner carriers. Interline travel is not permitted.
- Tickets will earn RDMs (based on fare and status), PQMs (50% of distance), PQSs (0.5), PQDs, in addition it will count for minimum 4 segment and lifetime miles (New as of Dec 2018)
- Basic Economy tickets will use booking code 'N'
- Online check-in only with paid checked bag, otherwise need to see a United representative to verify the onboard bag allowance and receive a boarding pass.
related threads
New UA/*A TATL -LGT Economy fare - no free first bag, no changes/upgrades allowed
Benefit impact of restricted economy fares on UA Elites (Basic Econ, -LGT, Light Econ
Pre-announcement speculation thread (now closed) New "Budget Economy" fares
United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ... {Archive}
Jul 28, 2019, 2:59 pm
#3721
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
A reminder about not using third-party vendors, e.g. online travel agents. Many of them hide information such as this and many of them impose fees above the air carriers for cancellations & changes.
Stick to the carrier's website, in this case UA's and you will not regret it.
Stick to the carrier's website, in this case UA's and you will not regret it.
Jul 28, 2019, 3:20 pm
#3722
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 410
Thanks all. I'll definitely book on United's website .
Jul 28, 2019, 6:20 pm
#3723
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,446
Also booking direct on United but if your starting point is Google Flights (GF), you can easily switch from basic economy fare to regular economy fare within GF. From there, the link will take you directly to the UA itinerary summary page, ensuring the correct fare.
Jul 28, 2019, 9:57 pm
#3724
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: MEX
Programs: TK G,UA *S
Posts: 1,135
I just used google flights to get the best price for my flights and got an L class and no warnings of BE once on united page.Means I am booked in Y normal class right?
Jul 28, 2019, 10:16 pm
#3725
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pasadena, California
Programs: UA 1K, 1MM
Posts: 10,407
Jul 28, 2019, 10:36 pm
#3726
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,337
For North American travel, yes.
Jul 28, 2019, 10:37 pm
#3727
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,731
Jul 28, 2019, 10:53 pm
#3728
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: MEX
Programs: TK G,UA *S
Posts: 1,135
Then I guess should be fine. It is a MEX IAH HNL itinerrary...
Jul 29, 2019, 9:13 am
#3729
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Speculation: United doesn't want you to purchase a full Y ticket with your company's money and then 24 hours before the flight, when you are sure you don't need any changes, switching to a cheap last-minute BE fare, keeping the residual value for future personal travel?
Jul 29, 2019, 10:00 am
#3730
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,337
Well, but you can still refund it and buy the cheap ticket. And I doubt UA is all that worried about protecting their corporate customers from fraud, especially when many of those customers use a corporate travel office and would get a notification anyway.
Jul 29, 2019, 10:25 am
#3731
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Fair....maybe they just don't want regular folks "buying down" from a normal changeable-for-a-fee (but not refundable) fare to last-minute BE deals where the savings exceeds the change fee, and the language / fare rule is applied to refundable tickets too even though it doesn't make sense.
Jul 29, 2019, 10:32 am
#3732
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,876
Does MEX even have BE fares published? Canada still doesn't, AFAIK, and I'd guess it eventually will, but I'd guess Mexico/Carribean/Canada will be under the domestic BE structure, as it is with other aspects of those flights.
IME, google flights doesn't call out BE per say, but does call out 'no carry on' allowed, so it essentially does call out BE, but of course, not as well as UA.com does.
Update: just tried it on a domestic route - when selecting individual flights, Google shows an image of a roller bag with a cross through it to indicate no checked bag. When you select all flights, they then give you a page like this: https://flights.app.goo.gl/SrYqn. Obviously, that gives you the choice to select BE or not. When you use the link to book, and it pulls you to UA.com, it does have the basic economy banner next to each of the flight, and below, has a big box with the restrictions, and you have to specifically click to approve the restrictions before continuing with the BE option. So yes, it does seem to warn you multiple times between the two platforms.
IME, google flights doesn't call out BE per say, but does call out 'no carry on' allowed, so it essentially does call out BE, but of course, not as well as UA.com does.
Update: just tried it on a domestic route - when selecting individual flights, Google shows an image of a roller bag with a cross through it to indicate no checked bag. When you select all flights, they then give you a page like this: https://flights.app.goo.gl/SrYqn. Obviously, that gives you the choice to select BE or not. When you use the link to book, and it pulls you to UA.com, it does have the basic economy banner next to each of the flight, and below, has a big box with the restrictions, and you have to specifically click to approve the restrictions before continuing with the BE option. So yes, it does seem to warn you multiple times between the two platforms.
Jul 29, 2019, 10:36 am
#3733
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,337
Yes, there are BE fares published on MEX-HNL. I don't see any on YYZ-HNL, though, so I suspect you're right about Canada. (Of course, Canada has TATL BE).
Jul 29, 2019, 10:51 am
#3734
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Cashing out a fully refundable F/Y ticket an purchasing a cheap non-refundable ticket, whether BE or not, is not new and is both mail/wire fraud and likely tax fraud (unless you accurately report the fare difference pocketed). Not likely a big deal these days. For the rest, one would have to find a penalty fare with <$200 fare difference for a standard domestic ticket and then be prepared to explain what happened should one need to make a change.
Aug 5, 2019, 5:51 pm
#3735
Join Date: Nov 2014
Programs: UA 2MM
Posts: 1,676
RT required for BE Fare?
I am looking at fares for DEN-TPA and when searching OW fares it doesn't pull up BE even when the flight is N9, however when searching RT the BE fares show up. I read the fare rules and didnt see anything about a RT required. Can anyone smarter than me figure this out as I have tried 300 ways and can't get the BE fare to show up as a one way
