pmarrsouth

I think that was his point. If they then prioritize premier members over non PM for who gets the E+ seats

pushmyredbutton

Witnessed it yesterday when sitting at the LAS-LAX gate. Couple of people with personal items too large to fit under their seats were forced to check, and pay. They were actually marched off the plane to pay the gate agent, vs just checking it at cabin door.

Surprisingly, they didn't seem that upset, and the GA waived the $25 fee, so total was only $25 instead of $50.

eng3

Absolutely, that's the world we now live in.
Dao cheaped out and got IDB, made a fuss and now we will all pay slightly higher ticket prices and encounter more delays/cancellations waiting for incoming crews.
Who ever yells the loudest gets their way.

abaheti

yes, this, sorry if I wasn't clear

IAH-OIL-TRASH

This cheap 1K just booked a mid-June $69 BE fare IAH-LAS . I'll report back after I unfold myself.

luv2ctheworld

Your example is an inaccurate comparison.

Dao paid for a ticket, and chose to assert his right to that seat. UA then forced him out of the seat. One can agree or disagree about whether he should have complied or not, but he was supposed to be given a seat on that flight.

Any commotion about not having a carry on allowed or inability to choose a seat would be moot because BE very clearly says you cannot bring a carry on or select your seat in advance.

Sometimes you have to yell because what is being done is wrong.

gene2632

It is not fun back there, we got stuck in E- on an aircraft change LAS to EWR last year. E+ turned into E- and no recline....UA's respsonse " too bad, we reserve the right to _____________" That said, there is no way I could book a BE fare, even in a dire emergency.

DCFlyer0306

Wow, and I was hoping that sitting in E+ would shield me from the inevitable BE seat jumping nonsense. While the extra room is nice, one of the main benefits of E+ for me is being somewhat removed from the lap babies / Kettles / seat jumpers, etc. You are usually much more likely to be seated next to other business travelers / frequent travelers in E+ and if that stops being the case it will significantly decrease the value of E+ (and my elite status) to me

BE is a horrible idea - I have a feeling this is going to cause a ton of disruption, inconvenience, confusion, and animosity in the cabin -- and not just for those choosing to purchase BE

br2k

I booked a regular economy fare IAD-EWR for $60 2 months ago. As of now, with BE available it's $65 for BE and something like $85 for regular economy. So - nothing to be happy about.

emcampbe

And I'm sure I'll get flamed by someone, but even then, that shouldn't be the case. BE is clear about being ineligible for E+ - UA is going to get itself in trouble if they start to create the expectation that BE folks can get into E+.

Yes, it takes more GA effort, but IME, they should be moving others paying non-BE fares into available E+, and have some algorithm based on status and fare - *G (since presumably UA elites have already booked themselves in E+), by fare class Y down, then *S in the same order, then GM if there is still a need, then fill those seats with BE if there were ever the need. I do realize its easier to just fill any empty E+ with BE fares that don't have seats, but its going to create expectations and give a potential incentive for folks to be ok with buying BE. Many people have this happen to them once, and they'll be back with the GA next flight asking for this favor.

IME, depending on how popular BE gets, I suspect that UA will begin blocking more seats as needed in the back rows for BE pax to be given at checkin. This would potentially have the consequence of having a few more regular fare paying pax without seat assignments prior to check in, but they could then be given the E+ seats at check in for free (presumably if they decline the buy up), with BE getting the extra blocked seats in the back. Would also have the advantage of giving a better chance for BE folks to sit together, particularly a child and their guardian - which will likely be a requirement down the line.

Sorry...E+ benefits aren't any of what you mention. Our toddler is now over 2, and we've traveled with her in E+ (or F) on every flight since she was born. Seen quite a few other lap babies, etc. in E+/F on flights we've been on too. Business travelers aren't the only ones who have status (or buy up).

And sitting in E+, I have been asked to move. In F, too. So even so, you're not immune. If you want to be immune from all these things, fly private.

MrAndy1369

Seems so silly for UA to go through the whole circus of bags on the plane. DL currently still allows their BE passengers to carry on the standard carry on bags. They're currently the only holdout on this policy.

tcp1

Noticed this at IAD on Friday.

Is group 5 now only BE?? Would make sense with the new bag policy announcements.

Pingtung

Saw this at BWI at an adjacent gate that was going to ORD. Group 4 looked to be a long line of more than 50 passengers while Group 5 was empty with exactly 0 passengers waiting. I'm sure this will balance itself out once more of these BE purchasers start showing up at gates.

emcampbe

Wonder how this nets out with the WIlMA boarding process.

In the past, group 3 was window, group 4 middle (aisle on regional jets that are 2-2), and group 5 window. So how are these distributed in mainline boarding groups now.

findark

Flew SFO-BUR today. There were no announcements about Basic Economy during boarding, and most people in Group 5 had just a personal item anyway (probably indicative of the route). I was chatting with the GA and there were only five BE pax on the flight. She indicated she hasn't had much hassle with BE yet - "United limits the number of BE pax on each flight". I had to chuckle at that last.

I don't believe Group 5 is exclusively BE (I guess 3-5 was a clump so I can't really say), but their BPs have a "BASIC ECONOMY" endorsement similar to the style of "GLOBAL SERVICES".

As an aside, I also got to glimpse the BP of a pilot who was deadheading in the jumpseat. There was some slick code for his seat assignment and it said "FLT DECK ACCESS GRANTED" on the bottom. Cracked a joke about him sitting up front