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}
Aug 19, 2017, 1:51 am
#2521
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: SFO/SJC/OAK
Programs: OZ Diamond (*G), KQ Asante Gold (ST+), Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,511
While there may be an occasional spot price approaching 40% (could not find any - but may be one of the fare filing errors) but they are anomalous and not representative for the majority of the offerings.
Spot checking a handful of dates a month out (and dates in Oct, Nove also) I see mostly $49 vs $57 (for non-stops - some meaningless 1-stops are higher)
Don't see BE offered for SFO-LAX closer than 14 days
Spot checking a handful of dates a month out (and dates in Oct, Nove also) I see mostly $49 vs $57 (for non-stops - some meaningless 1-stops are higher)
Don't see BE offered for SFO-LAX closer than 14 days
Aug 19, 2017, 2:04 am
#2522
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,419
I picked an arbitrary return date of 12/27 and got the same behavior you did. I was able to get a regular economy roundtrip using TAA2AQEN in each direction for $240.40 total; choosing BE bumps it up to a Q-BR fare for $466.40.
I had to add the return date because the fare table for SFO-SEA is completely messed up. They've pulled all of the one-way BE fares, but the round-trip BE fares are written using a one-way template ("fares governed by this rule can be used to create one-way/round-trip journeys"). And, they've put contradictory combination requirements that make it impossible to use any of the less expensive BE fares to create an SFO-SEA roundtrip; that's why it's choosing the Q fare.
However, if you really, really want to fly BE, you can book SFO-SEA / PSC-SFO. You won't save any money, because the BE T fare is exactly the same as the regular T fare, but you will get to enjoy all of the limitations of BE, and you'll get to brave Snoqualmie or White Pass in December! Don't forget to carry tire chains...
Aug 19, 2017, 7:54 am
#2523
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,169
I did this for MEL-LAX-CLE... MEL-LAX was at like R7 or something crazy but LAX-CLE and MEL-LAX-CLE were R0. Called, the agent apologized for "only" being able to clear MEL-LAX and got me set. In the end LAX-CLE didn't clear (I died at #1 and #2 on the UG list) but I'd much rather be up front on the 15 hour flight than the 4.5 hour one.
Aug 19, 2017, 7:59 am
#2524
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: United Plat 2MM, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,727
Aug 19, 2017, 8:06 am
#2525
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ORD
Programs: United 100K, Etihad Gold, Marriot Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 578
I used to SEA to PSC pretty frequently about 10 years ago. It was on Horizon Air and I believe the Bombadier Q200. The best part is the last row had a seat that was in the aisle, sort of like at the back of the bus. Great leg room, and they had just enough time to get you some Portland Brews.
Aug 19, 2017, 9:14 am
#2526
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,645
Aug 19, 2017, 9:25 am
#2527
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,480
Just as a side note, GPU clearing for NRT-LAX but not NRT-LAX-PHX is a symptom of married segment logic. (i.e. availability you're seeing is NRT-PHX not NRT-LAX and LAX-NRT). In the future, if you did want to book the through fare [I realize in this case there's also the fare difference that disincentives the booking] you could book, waitlist the GPU, then call united Reservations and mention that you see R inventory available for NRT-LAX and ask if they can clear the GPU. They have to split/divorce the segments and then can clear NRT-LAX while leaving LAX-PHX waitlisted.
If you apply the GPU online, LAX-NRT will clear, PHX-LAX will waitlist. There is no need to have segments separated.
Aug 19, 2017, 9:45 am
#2528
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,169
That was most certainly not what happened in the case I described
Aug 19, 2017, 10:52 am
#2529
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,860
Aug 20, 2017, 11:26 am
#2530
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
Well, we found an alternative. Use the the UA website and just book as a guest. When the transaction has been completed, call and have them insert the MP#. They did this because they wanted the get the 5 times credit on the AMEX Platinum card ( Expedia wouldn't count ). It worked.
Aug 20, 2017, 12:36 pm
#2531
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: UA/1k
Posts: 129
Basic Economy "priority inversion"
Recently, I've noticed that on full flights, people on BE tickets have been sitting in economy plus seats, while people on regular economy tickets are stuck in the back.
My guess is that this is a kind of priority inversion; essentially, they hold the E+ seats for paying customers and/or elites; on some routes, there's insufficient demand to fill these seats. People buying regular economy tickets fill up the rear seats because they're prompted to select seats during checkout. Then at the airport, the gate agents assign the free seats to the BE people w/o seats, and those turn out to be E+ seats.
Have others seen this also? If I weren't elite, I would be increasingly tempted to buy BE tickets on full flights and see if I could get lucky…
My guess is that this is a kind of priority inversion; essentially, they hold the E+ seats for paying customers and/or elites; on some routes, there's insufficient demand to fill these seats. People buying regular economy tickets fill up the rear seats because they're prompted to select seats during checkout. Then at the airport, the gate agents assign the free seats to the BE people w/o seats, and those turn out to be E+ seats.
Have others seen this also? If I weren't elite, I would be increasingly tempted to buy BE tickets on full flights and see if I could get lucky…
Aug 20, 2017, 12:42 pm
#2532
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 127
There's a whole thread on this but your observations seem to be common practice. No need to purchase BE in order to join the E+ lottery, all you have to do is not select a seat on a regular economy res and you might end up with a nice seat in E+ or a middle in the last row of E-.
Aug 20, 2017, 1:08 pm
#2533
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,860
Recently, I've noticed that on full flights, people on BE tickets have been sitting in economy plus seats, while people on regular economy tickets are stuck in the back.
My guess is that this is a kind of priority inversion; essentially, they hold the E+ seats for paying customers and/or elites; on some routes, there's insufficient demand to fill these seats. People buying regular economy tickets fill up the rear seats because they're prompted to select seats during checkout. Then at the airport, the gate agents assign the free seats to the BE people w/o seats, and those turn out to be E+ seats.
Have others seen this also? If I weren't elite, I would be increasingly tempted to buy BE tickets on full flights and see if I could get lucky…
My guess is that this is a kind of priority inversion; essentially, they hold the E+ seats for paying customers and/or elites; on some routes, there's insufficient demand to fill these seats. People buying regular economy tickets fill up the rear seats because they're prompted to select seats during checkout. Then at the airport, the gate agents assign the free seats to the BE people w/o seats, and those turn out to be E+ seats.
Have others seen this also? If I weren't elite, I would be increasingly tempted to buy BE tickets on full flights and see if I could get lucky…
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ll-happen.html
The difference now, with BE, there are more "unassigned seat" travelers. There are reports UA is blocking seats in E- to accommodate the BE folks and some reports of UA proactively bumping non-BE travelers at check-in to E+
As mentioned in the first thread -- waiting for the E+ bump could lead to a nice E- middle seat.
Aug 20, 2017, 1:32 pm
#2534
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,891
Recently, I've noticed that on full flights, people on BE tickets have been sitting in economy plus seats, while people on regular economy tickets are stuck in the back.
My guess is that this is a kind of priority inversion; essentially, they hold the E+ seats for paying customers and/or elites; on some routes, there's insufficient demand to fill these seats. People buying regular economy tickets fill up the rear seats because they're prompted to select seats during checkout. Then at the airport, the gate agents assign the free seats to the BE people w/o seats, and those turn out to be E+ seats.
Have others seen this also? If I weren't elite, I would be increasingly tempted to buy BE tickets on full flights and see if I could get lucky…
My guess is that this is a kind of priority inversion; essentially, they hold the E+ seats for paying customers and/or elites; on some routes, there's insufficient demand to fill these seats. People buying regular economy tickets fill up the rear seats because they're prompted to select seats during checkout. Then at the airport, the gate agents assign the free seats to the BE people w/o seats, and those turn out to be E+ seats.
Have others seen this also? If I weren't elite, I would be increasingly tempted to buy BE tickets on full flights and see if I could get lucky…
On the other hand, there have been reports of people (non-BE) getting proactive offers to change their seats to E+ at check in...likely to free up E- seats for those in BE. This is the kind of thing that should be happening, IMO. Perhaps its in the testing phase on limited flights, and will be rolled out more broadly (the sooner, the better). So it looks like they are looking to fix this.
Aug 20, 2017, 3:29 pm
#2535
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, SkyMiles
Posts: 4,161
On the other hand, there have been reports of people (non-BE) getting proactive offers to change their seats to E+ at check in...likely to free up E- seats for those in BE. This is the kind of thing that should be happening, IMO. Perhaps its in the testing phase on limited flights, and will be rolled out more broadly (the sooner, the better). So it looks like they are looking to fix this.