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}
Dec 1, 2016, 12:10 am
#661
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
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Posts: 5,662
Well since Basic Economy has got the model of not having the right to even pay for anything, when UA will start charging for all beverages those on BE fares will not have the right to pay for one.
Just another example on how ridiculous the BE fare concept is.
Just another example on how ridiculous the BE fare concept is.
Dec 1, 2016, 6:43 am
#662
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
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Dec 1, 2016, 8:59 am
#663
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I wonder if this is actually UA wanting to give regular fare paying customers the first crack at window/aisle seats, E+ upgrades, etc., and these will be available to BE customers at check in. i.e., since you paid for an S fare instead of BE, we want to make sure you get a choice of the aisle seat before a BE is able to get access.
Dec 1, 2016, 9:11 am
#664
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: 1 thousand
Posts: 2,112
Except that the onboard payment systems are completely independent of the online booking system. So any fare and seating changes will have no influence whatsoever on buy-on-board purchases (unless they introduce advance meal purchasing - which would actually be quite a nice idea IMHO).
Dec 1, 2016, 9:28 am
#665
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
Except that the onboard payment systems are completely independent of the online booking system. So any fare and seating changes will have no influence whatsoever on buy-on-board purchases (unless they introduce advance meal purchasing - which would actually be quite a nice idea IMHO).
Dec 1, 2016, 11:32 am
#666
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: united mileage plus
Posts: 145
Can we assume that if a flight is ticketed before 2017 then it will not be considered basic economy? I'm asking because I might reserve a ticket to Asia that would likely be in k class. This would not be applied retroactively . . .would it??
Dec 1, 2016, 12:08 pm
#667
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I would not worry about being retroactive. Almost none (I hesitate only as there could have been that one time) of their changes ever go back. Baggage fees, change to PQD requirements, RDM earnings...
Dec 1, 2016, 12:35 pm
#668
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,406
Basic economy is a decision made at the time of purchase, and will not be available until 1/1. No purchase you make in 2016, regardless of fare class, will be basic economy. You can book your flight with confidence. :-)
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 3, 2016 at 4:41 pm Reason: removed response to deleted post
Dec 1, 2016, 12:43 pm
#669
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
Dec 1, 2016, 1:15 pm
#670
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Join Date: Nov 2014
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At a minimum, the change provisions of BE would be illegal to make retroactive. There's pretty much no chance they'd do it for the others things either.
Dec 1, 2016, 2:27 pm
#671
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: HKG • Ex SFO, NYC
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Marriott Amb; Hyatt Globalist; Shangri-la Diamond; IHG SpireAmb; Hilton D; Accor G
Posts: 3,319
The real question for me is how easy it will be to avoid Basic Economy fares. I have no problem with them existing… I just want to opt out. So my two areas of concern are:
- will it be possible to exclude it from searches easily? on UA.com and other engines?
- will it mean higher prices for regular economy or lower prices for basic economy? i.e. will I be paying more?
My biggest fear is accidentally buying a Basic Economy fare because it's not clearly labeled and disclaimed.
- will it be possible to exclude it from searches easily? on UA.com and other engines?
- will it mean higher prices for regular economy or lower prices for basic economy? i.e. will I be paying more?
My biggest fear is accidentally buying a Basic Economy fare because it's not clearly labeled and disclaimed.
Dec 1, 2016, 2:35 pm
#672
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
The real question for me is how easy it will be to avoid Basic Economy fares. I have no problem with them existing… I just want to opt out. So my two areas of concern are:
- will it be possible to exclude it from searches easily? on UA.com and other engines?
- will it mean higher prices for regular economy or lower prices for basic economy? i.e. will I be paying more?
My biggest fear is accidentally buying a Basic Economy fare because it's not clearly labeled and disclaimed.
- will it be possible to exclude it from searches easily? on UA.com and other engines?
- will it mean higher prices for regular economy or lower prices for basic economy? i.e. will I be paying more?
My biggest fear is accidentally buying a Basic Economy fare because it's not clearly labeled and disclaimed.
And I hope that United will enable a functionality to correct any mistakes in buying these fares so that if you notice down the line, you can opt to "fare up" to a normal fare.
Dec 1, 2016, 3:27 pm
#673
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I assume they will make the UI on UA.com similar to the one Delta uses. It's pretty hard to mistakenly buy the basic economy fare there. See the popup that appears upon selection that I posted to this thread a while ago. Or just try it.
Dec 1, 2016, 5:27 pm
#674
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Tampa, FL
Programs: UA 1.5mm, *gold, AA - P, Marriot Titanium
Posts: 71
The discussion here is largely about enrolled corporate TA's administering corporate contracts which include volume discounts. Most of those TA's recomend and the customer (the employer) usually complies by using compliance software such as Concur.
Concur and similar software can be programmed in any way the employer wishes. When people say that "Concur won't let me...," what they mean is that their employer won't let them and has programmed Concur to block a function. Concur will allow one to book F, refundable tickets, or whatever. That is, unless it is set to block or to require a justification.
The DL introduction of BE meant that some employers fell behind the curve and those requiring the lowest fare may have forced employees into BE for a period of time until BE was pulled out of the mix. Hopefully, by the time UA's fares come online, that won't happen unless the employer really does mean to require their use.
Concur and similar software can be programmed in any way the employer wishes. When people say that "Concur won't let me...," what they mean is that their employer won't let them and has programmed Concur to block a function. Concur will allow one to book F, refundable tickets, or whatever. That is, unless it is set to block or to require a justification.
The DL introduction of BE meant that some employers fell behind the curve and those requiring the lowest fare may have forced employees into BE for a period of time until BE was pulled out of the mix. Hopefully, by the time UA's fares come online, that won't happen unless the employer really does mean to require their use.
I have no problem doing this and forcing a higher fare from an ethical point of view, because I am actually saving the company money. I always book ahead before a full set of meeting are confirmed in an area, and I often, if not mostly, change the return flight home either adding a day or subtracting a day, which costs me nothing on UA, and would cost a small fortune on DL.
Dec 1, 2016, 5:29 pm
#675
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
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The real question for me is how easy it will be to avoid Basic Economy fares. I have no problem with them existing… I just want to opt out. So my two areas of concern are:
- will it be possible to exclude it from searches easily? on UA.com and other engines?
- will it mean higher prices for regular economy or lower prices for basic economy? i.e. will I be paying more?
My biggest fear is accidentally buying a Basic Economy fare because it's not clearly labeled and disclaimed.
- will it be possible to exclude it from searches easily? on UA.com and other engines?
- will it mean higher prices for regular economy or lower prices for basic economy? i.e. will I be paying more?
My biggest fear is accidentally buying a Basic Economy fare because it's not clearly labeled and disclaimed.
Many are doom and glooming the former, but I suspect it will be a mix of both.