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}
Sep 20, 2017, 9:09 am
#2851
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA 1K 1MMer & LT UC (when flying UA); Hyatt Credit Cardist; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold via UA 1K
Posts: 6,956
It's also hurting higher level elites who want to SDC or are IRROP'd.
Sep 20, 2017, 9:41 am
#2852
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
But now, anyone buying Y can get a Y- seat more easily (because 20-30%+ are on BE) so when Y- fills up BE was getting E+. But this "fix" (to fill up E+ at check in) with Y is worse, as it screws over elites doing SDC or in IRROPs or silvers checking in closer to flight time.
Sep 20, 2017, 10:02 am
#2853
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,088
I do not believe you get the benefits of card membership just by owning the card. You have to actually USE the card to get the benefits: free bag check, Priority boarding.etc. If you don't use the card, the boarding priority won't show up on your boarding pass.
That's the whole point of cardbolder benefits- to get you to use the card. Otherwise, you could accumulate mileage and benefits on the card you made the purchase with, and get boarding and bag benefits on the Chase Card. What does Chase get out of that?
That's the whole point of cardbolder benefits- to get you to use the card. Otherwise, you could accumulate mileage and benefits on the card you made the purchase with, and get boarding and bag benefits on the Chase Card. What does Chase get out of that?
I have a MileagePlus Explorer card and bought a Basic Economy ticket from SFO to LAS (MileagePlus numbers entered when booked). It left from an international gate and when we checked in at the gate, we were told we could not bring a full-size carry-on.
I pointed the agent to the FAQ on Basic Economy on the United site that explicitly lists the exception and she still refused. She called another agent over to read and they both still refused saying it 'didn't apply'.
I then called MileagePlus support and the rep there tried to tell them the same thing: that the MileagePlus card allows an exception. Again, they refused, telling phone rep that they were wrong.
I also pointed out the boarding pass had us in priority group 2, not 5, which surprised her, but she still refused.
She was going to charge us for our carry-ons and a third agent then asked if we bought the tickets with the card. We actually did so in this case, so we let her confirm that was true and she said she’d make “an exception” for us in that case. However, just being card holders is supposed to be enough.
I’ve read of other passengers who’ve had similar problems and since you are at the mercy of the agents with no recourse if you can’t convince them, it is NOT a sure benefit of having this card. We spent nearly an hour of frustrating discussion and phone calls before our flight, but might have had to pay high fees for our bags (she was not going to allow them to be checked free, either, apparently).
Will United really refund the charges if we get charged? Where is such a request submitted if it happens?
I pointed the agent to the FAQ on Basic Economy on the United site that explicitly lists the exception and she still refused. She called another agent over to read and they both still refused saying it 'didn't apply'.
I then called MileagePlus support and the rep there tried to tell them the same thing: that the MileagePlus card allows an exception. Again, they refused, telling phone rep that they were wrong.
I also pointed out the boarding pass had us in priority group 2, not 5, which surprised her, but she still refused.
She was going to charge us for our carry-ons and a third agent then asked if we bought the tickets with the card. We actually did so in this case, so we let her confirm that was true and she said she’d make “an exception” for us in that case. However, just being card holders is supposed to be enough.
I’ve read of other passengers who’ve had similar problems and since you are at the mercy of the agents with no recourse if you can’t convince them, it is NOT a sure benefit of having this card. We spent nearly an hour of frustrating discussion and phone calls before our flight, but might have had to pay high fees for our bags (she was not going to allow them to be checked free, either, apparently).
Will United really refund the charges if we get charged? Where is such a request submitted if it happens?
Sep 20, 2017, 10:08 am
#2854
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,468
That's not correct. The only benefit that depends upon use of the card to purchase the ticket is the free baggage allowance.
Sep 20, 2017, 10:10 am
#2855
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,415
In fact, allowing people on regular economy fares free E+ seating is... exactly what you just claimed UA had done previously -- allowing people on higher fares to sit in E+. The only difference is that it may happen as early as check-in.
These recent assertions that this policy has led to a decrease in E+ availability for SDC/Silver are the first that I've seen anyone post about it -- and the first person was on a route with no BE anyway. It would only really be an issue if the number of people offered free E+ was greater than the number of elites / E+ subscription holders in BE, and if E+ were relatively full in the first place.
Anecdotally, I haven't noticed any difference in the seating patterns in E+; that doesn't mean that this isn't happening, but I'd want to hear more experiences before declaring it to be a big problem.
Sep 20, 2017, 10:29 am
#2856
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Sep 20, 2017, 10:52 am
#2857
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Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
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Sep 20, 2017, 11:15 am
#2858
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
There's plenty to dislike about BE without making stuff up. It's not true that UA would "usually give E+ to those with higher fares." It's much more correct to state that UA would usually give E+ to those without a seat assignment, regardless of fare. It has always been entirely possible to win the E+ lottery on a G or K fare by declining to select a seat.
....
Anecdotally, I haven't noticed any difference in the seating patterns in E+; that doesn't mean that this isn't happening, but I'd want to hear more experiences before declaring it to be a big problem.
....
Anecdotally, I haven't noticed any difference in the seating patterns in E+; that doesn't mean that this isn't happening, but I'd want to hear more experiences before declaring it to be a big problem.
I might also add, that my post was predicated by "if correct" ...
I was just responding to what others say they have observed. I have no first hand experience with BE that addresses who exactly who is now getting unused E+ (Is UA opening up to non-elites at check-in? Or still what people reported which is that BE as unassigned, was getting E+.
Sep 20, 2017, 11:21 am
#2859
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So - not sure it was reported already, but instead of the normal $15-30 differentials , some insane differences Jan/Feb next year (normal economy hundreds more) (PHL/EWR to LAX,DFW,ATL,IAH) to name a few. I wonder if there's a BE fare war.
Sep 20, 2017, 12:44 pm
#2860
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,415
IMHE UA will give E+ middles to non-elites w/o seat assignments, but I have seen them "upgrade" people to aisles and windows, also reports of this. That said, rereviewing my post my comma was misplaced, changing the meaning, "usually" was intended to refer to SDC and giving to those with higher fares, non-UA *A flyers, not just "those with higher fares."
UA has started offering some BE fares without matching regular economy fares. They do seem to be a response to AA BE fares, and they lead to these large differences between BE and regular economy. Time will tell how effective of a strategy it is.
Sep 20, 2017, 12:46 pm
#2861
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: dark side of the moon
Programs: papa card, UA 1K
Posts: 707
Good to know. I only looked at LAX - PHL and a $70 differential is common OW from mid October. BTW I wish people would specify OW or RT on this thread when it's an outlier (maybe $70 isn't an outlier anymore). It will be interesting to see what differentials others come up with T+24.
Sep 20, 2017, 1:11 pm
#2862
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
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I've seen mixed reports; I've definitely sill seen E+ given to BE customers, but we've seen several reports here that regular economy tickets were occasionally given the option to select E+ seats at check-in. I don't know if we have an idea how frequent that is (non-elites on a regular economy ticket, please feel free to chime in with your experiences either way).
Could be by fare class (G is at the bottom of the heap); who knows. Free E+ would have been a nice consolation prize for an uncleared RPU though
AA has chosen to use their BE rollout to offer insanely cheap fares in many markets, almost as if they're sticking it to the MR crowd who can no longer use them. Looks like UA is getting taken along for the ride. As AA is not matching their BE fire sales with regular Economy fares, neither is UA.
Sep 20, 2017, 1:47 pm
#2863
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
I agree its a good idea. When on basically full fare tickets I have had OALs give me better seats (exit row, etc) and it has always left me more favorably inclined to them. Some do it by policy (opening up all seats at check in) others by discretion.
I've seen mixed reports... but we've seen several reports here that regular economy tickets were occasionally given the option to select E+ seats at check-in. I don't know if we have an idea how frequent that is (non-elites on a regular economy ticket, please feel free to chime in with your experiences either way).
Sep 20, 2017, 2:41 pm
#2864
Moderator: United Airlines
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Posts: 66,859
We need to be careful with one-off / anecdotal reports and extrapolating that to be policy.
There have been multiple reports of non-BE non-elites being offered E+ at check-in -- that does clearly seem to a policy. It has been speculated this is being done to avoid bumping at the gate as many BE passengers into E+.
Sep 22, 2017, 11:37 am
#2865
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Austin, TX
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Posts: 2,605
AA has chosen to use their BE rollout to offer insanely cheap fares in many markets, almost as if they're sticking it to the MR crowd who can no longer use them. Looks like UA is getting taken along for the ride. As AA is not matching their BE fire sales with regular Economy fares, neither is UA.