idiosyncrasy

As someone already mentioned the only routes active right now are out of MSP, and anyone with a brain would probably be flying Delta anyway. Likely more reports in late May or June or this when there are more flights to observe the process.

I'd imagine there are some who will sneak in with higher groups and GA's will not turn them away (out of ignorance or avoidance of confrontation).

emcampbe

When I lived in Chicago 10 years ago, WN was rarely cheaper than UA, DL, AA, etc (and for me, they were less convenient since I lived in the near north suburbs, so having to fly to MDW was already less convenient). They're living on perception from the years prior, and are able to keep that perception in large part because they don't offer fares through a GDS, meaning those going to online portals will never see WN fares next to other carriers. Folks also see the no bag fees, and then no change fees (which while technically true, if you are on a lower fare, you're likely to have to pay a fare difference, while it happens less of the time, IMO, on legacies).

JBord

Totally true. WN has not been a LCC (at least out of Chicago) in a long time. The only thing LCC about it is their service -- no assigned seats, no F, no meals, etc.

idiosyncrasy

WN's prices are often at least 1.5x to 2x the lowest price of the legacies from what I've seen out of MDW now. Though there are some deals on WN to be had, sometimes.

spin88

I am going with "failed to think it through to consider negative customer reaction" which has been the MO since 2012.

I have no doubt they will just look at sales, but the point I am making is that it fundementally impacts how United's fares are viewed, and also how the brand is viewed when United offers a high priced BE fare, and people either figure it out with the upsell effort (and feel ripped off) or are busy and miss the disclosure, since they don't expect funky rules with a $300-400-500, on the case of an earlier poster at $700+ fare, and get really

exactly. the extra $10 in upsell is not worse the (a) potential loss of a sale, or worse (b) the potential loss of a customer, both of which are likely to go with very bad (c) NPS.

I think you fail to understand (a) how some people don't read/understand the details and (b) how busy people are. IMHO most people are opperating about 90% of the time on expectation, not actually looking at the details.

fly18725

Two questions: if United sees no degradation in sales or yields following introduction of BE fares, is their brand negatively impacted? Second, what more could United do to set expectations for BE fares - e.g. a second pop up, another check box, a bigger orange call out?

Bonehead

Flew MSP-DEN on Wednesday. Based on the GA's announcement, it appeared that Group 5 consisted entirely of BE passengers.

When Group 5 was called, they rolled out one of those wood chippers and any non-personal item was pulverized on the spot. Made a big mess at the gate.

Seriously, Group 5 consisted of only BE folks, so it would be easy to monitor their carryons.

Starman

We're still waiting to hear how BE boarding goes!! Did 100% of BE customers have only a "personal item?" I guess the problem is that all FTers have always already boarded, so there are no observers!

rcodey

Noticed they are selling basic economy seats on EWR-FLL

CaptainMiles

Sell BE at low fares only. If my fare cost $59, I won't expect much and will expect LCC-like rules and treatment. If my fare cost $700, I won't tolerate BE-like restrictions.

sbm12

Last boarding group doesn't get to bring a bag on. Pretty easy setup for everyone.

LCC is a back-end designation, not a fare designation. And, quite frankly, it is an antiquated term that offers minimal value in the current operational environment. WN should probably even be considered a network carrier these days given its mostly hub structure and connecting passenger flow.
This is demonstrably false. Delta announced several times that the goal was to roll these fares out across the domestic network and it is doing precisely that.

CaptainMiles

But people in groups 1-4 can commingle with group 5 if they choose.

sbm12

And, assuming the GA hasn't started gate-checking everything at that point anyways they can show that their boarding group number on the BP is one that permits the bag on board.

But, as a general rule, the program was set up to have the final boarding group be Basic Economy pax and not get to bring bags on board.

minnyfly

If you won't tolerate it, then don't buy the fare. Some people will find value in BE even at higher fares. I know I can see it being a very viable option for me under some circumstances. I don't want that choice going away just because of the time I book or the type of fare available. That's just dumb.

Often1

It will be interesting to hear some practical examples of the boarding process at MSP to learn how GA's are administering the BE issue.

Practically speaking, those boarding at the end of the process most often are required to gate check anyway, so this likely won't change much. I also know that when a GS seated in F turns up at the last minute, most often best efforts are made to find space for a carry-on. But, if the space is gone, it's gone.

For all the rants here, the fact remains that OH space is a zero-sum game. If you travel on other than a BE ticket or have status, the more BE passengers, the better for you.