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}
Jan 8, 2017, 7:24 pm
#991
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IAH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist, DL Plat, UA Silver
Posts: 4,043
Jan 8, 2017, 7:54 pm
#992
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
UA will hopefully follow the DL model and clearly Y- from Y. How Kayak and other marketing websites and how OTA's such as Orbitz and frankly what bricks & mortar TA's tell their customers is a separate issue. That will be between the websites, OTA's, TA's and their customers.
As to businesses, one would think that after the catch up some corporate travel folks and their TA's had to play when DL brought their BE fares online, UA will alert business customers. Presumably UA has little interest in cannabalizing is business market with these fares, so has an interest in warning folks off them.
On the other hand, if a business chooses to have its people fly in BE, that is a business decision and if its employees don't like it, I suppose the answer is not to call AA/DL, but to call the head hunter.
Jan 8, 2017, 8:57 pm
#993
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 1K (2MM); AA LT Gold (1.9 MM); SQ; WN; DL; "Bonvoy Ambassador""
Posts: 398
On those routes, UA is currently in a position of having to match the ULCC fares because the average kayaker clicks the lowest price, period. This is despite the fact that UA is offering a much better product than the typical ULCC -- so it becomes a Legacy product at a Spirit price situation. On these routes, I'd suspect the Basic Economy fare will now be offered, and will match the ULCC fare, so there's more parity between the product offerings at the same price point -- you get a Spirit product for the Spirit price, or can pay a bit more for the actual UA product.
So yes, in a sense, it's a stealth price increase, but probably only on ULCC routes, and strikes me as relatively fair if it pans out as I've described.
So yes, in a sense, it's a stealth price increase, but probably only on ULCC routes, and strikes me as relatively fair if it pans out as I've described.
Jan 11, 2017, 7:37 am
#995
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: Free checked in bag on UA & DL. Free icecream at Marriott checkin.
Posts: 2,862
Wow is launching $69.99 One way "Basic Economy" fares from California to Europe, which they claim is not a "sale" fare. Are we going to see United start to match TATL flights too?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...sale/96381318/
I can hardly wait for them to do a TED again trying to be both a full service as well as ULCC at the same time. I think they are going to more expensive on both full service and ULCC fronts whereby losing traffic on both fronts. How can they ever match the $69.99 oneway TATL? If they sell it at $69.99 oneway, I will take it. It is already quite uncomfortable on the slimlines, what difference does it make in E+ or E- middle seat.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...sale/96381318/
I can hardly wait for them to do a TED again trying to be both a full service as well as ULCC at the same time. I think they are going to more expensive on both full service and ULCC fronts whereby losing traffic on both fronts. How can they ever match the $69.99 oneway TATL? If they sell it at $69.99 oneway, I will take it. It is already quite uncomfortable on the slimlines, what difference does it make in E+ or E- middle seat.
Jan 11, 2017, 9:43 am
#997
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: Free checked in bag on UA & DL. Free icecream at Marriott checkin.
Posts: 2,862
Jan 11, 2017, 9:46 am
#998
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: 1 thousand
Posts: 2,112
Wow is launching $69.99 One way "Basic Economy" fares from California to Europe, which they claim is not a "sale" fare. Are we going to see United start to match TATL flights too?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...sale/96381318/
I can hardly wait for them to do a TED again trying to be both a full service as well as ULCC at the same time. I think they are going to more expensive on both full service and ULCC fronts whereby losing traffic on both fronts. How can they ever match the $69.99 oneway TATL? If they sell it at $69.99 oneway, I will take it. It is already quite uncomfortable on the slimlines, what difference does it make in E+ or E- middle seat.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...sale/96381318/
I can hardly wait for them to do a TED again trying to be both a full service as well as ULCC at the same time. I think they are going to more expensive on both full service and ULCC fronts whereby losing traffic on both fronts. How can they ever match the $69.99 oneway TATL? If they sell it at $69.99 oneway, I will take it. It is already quite uncomfortable on the slimlines, what difference does it make in E+ or E- middle seat.
Jan 11, 2017, 10:03 am
#999
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
They won't. It's a gimmick fare.
Airlines elect not to match discount fares all the time. Believe me, I've been watching for any *A carrier match of QR's $1700 J fare LAX-SIN for days now.
Where you will see BE used to match LCC fares is on routes where UA faces serious ongoing competition from a serious competitor. Which WOW most certainly is not.
Airlines elect not to match discount fares all the time. Believe me, I've been watching for any *A carrier match of QR's $1700 J fare LAX-SIN for days now.
Where you will see BE used to match LCC fares is on routes where UA faces serious ongoing competition from a serious competitor. Which WOW most certainly is not.
Jan 11, 2017, 10:14 am
#1000
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: NYC and SFO
Programs: UA 1MM (former 1K, Delta Platinum))
Posts: 1,244
The item I most want to see in this wiki: How do I lock my account so that I don't even see these fares?
I always purchase while logged in, and immediately choose a seat, so (it appears that) I will be able to correct a mistake purchase. However, United has trained me to requalify each year for 1K; don't they want me to avoid these fares?
Empirical evidence would suggest this is beyond the limited skills of United IT. For example, if one edits a search that included carefully crafted preferences, the revised search tosses most preferences. For example, a nonstop search now includes multiple stopovers. If United IT can't even get this right, what hope is there for hiding basic economy from elites who don't want to see these fares?
I always purchase while logged in, and immediately choose a seat, so (it appears that) I will be able to correct a mistake purchase. However, United has trained me to requalify each year for 1K; don't they want me to avoid these fares?
Empirical evidence would suggest this is beyond the limited skills of United IT. For example, if one edits a search that included carefully crafted preferences, the revised search tosses most preferences. For example, a nonstop search now includes multiple stopovers. If United IT can't even get this right, what hope is there for hiding basic economy from elites who don't want to see these fares?
Jan 11, 2017, 10:17 am
#1001
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,424
What you seem to have missed is that this price is only on a few select destinations in Europe, and they also have to sell cheaper tickets because of the crappy connection in Iceland (certainly bad for jetlag, the airport isn't great but neither are US layovers). So no, there's no point in UA matching exactly that pricepoint.
That price point is an absolute gimmick (searching "WOW air $69 tickets" yields many news articles and no tickets), and isn't really being widely sold, let alone matched.
Jan 12, 2017, 7:44 am
#1002
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 81
How will the flight crew know if you have bought a BE fare? How will they police the use of overhead bins?
Jan 12, 2017, 7:57 am
#1003
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, BA, HHonors, Avis
Posts: 192
I'm pretty sure they'll print it in big letters on the boarding pass! But BE fares will also be stuck in boarding group 5, so I imagine they will simply enforce a no roll-ons/large bags policy for everyone in that zone. That seems pretty easy to me.
Jan 12, 2017, 8:20 am
#1004
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 81
Are you forbidden from putting a bag that would fit under your seat into an overhead? Unless the FA follows you back and monitors, it won't be effective.
Plus, not everyone who boards at the end will be in that fare category (e.g. late connects).
Seems like it will create a huge headache for flight crew and will lead to more arguments between staff and passengers.
Jan 12, 2017, 8:22 am
#1005
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
No the idea is they will not let you board the aircraft with a rollaboard or similarly sized bag. They're obviously not going to be able to prevent pax from putting their smaller bags up top rather than under the seat.