A quick search on Expedia showed two warnings also before purchasing
any Basic Economy ticket.
If you're flying on
a Basic Economy ticket with United, or another highly baggage restricted ticket that only allows a personal item, then consider the packable duffle and a set of packing cubes.
«Multiple disclosures will spell out the attributes of
a Basic Economy ticket at the time of purchase on aa.com, and when utilizing the airline's reservations phone centers or when booking through a travel agent or online travel site,» the airline said.
However, when it came time to actually fly on
my basic economy ticket, I learned the savings weren't worth it.
If you happen to get stuck with
a basic economy ticket, you will still get your free checked bag and access to priority boarding.
Generally, you can not use miles to upgrade a deeply discounted coach ticket, such as
a basic economy ticket.
I'm sure it's possible to upgrade
a basic economy ticket but sometimes tickets can get complicated when booking through credit card travel portals so I didn't want to mess with that either.
Carry - on Baggage — Many readers may be wondering how exactly United plans on screening passengers to make sure
no Basic Economy ticket holders try to sneak a full size carry - on bag onto the plane.
If you have purchased Basic Economy, you will only be allowed one personal item, unless you are a Premier ® member or a primary card member using a qualifying MileagePlus credit card.1 Everyone else who is traveling on
a Basic Economy ticket and brings a full - sized carry - on bag to the gate will be required to check their bag and pay the applicable checked bag fee plus a $ 25 gate handling charge.
Currently if you're booked into E - Do Not Pay will just re-book you into a new
basic economy ticket, but the opportunity to «upgrade» is a BYOE type feature I'd love to see as well.
Passengers on
a Basic Economy ticket who bring a full - sized carry - on bag to the gate will be required to check their bag and pay the applicable checked bag fee plus a $ 25 gate handling charge.
If you choose to keep
your basic economy ticket, you won't be allowed to bring a carry - on bag on board at all.
Only the cardholder is eligible to bring a carry - on on board with
a basic economy ticket, even if the companion is on the same reservation.
If you are stuck with
a basic economy ticket, there are 2 ways to ensure you can bring a full - size carry - on bag on board with you.
This is the easiest way to ensure you can bring both your personal item and carry - on on board even with
a basic economy ticket.
Customers who are traveling on
a Basic Economy ticket are not allowed to purchase Premier Access.
Compare the price of
a basic economy ticket plus a checked bag fee and the higher - priced coach ticket.
American is also offering
basic economy tickets to some international destinations, including Cancun.
Hot Tip: Use a United MileagePlus credit card from Chase if you have to purchase
basic economy tickets so you can bring a carry - on bag with you.
Basic Economy tickets do not qualify for this offer.
For
Basic Economy tickets, the limit is one personal item, no carry - on bag.
Fares listed may be
Basic Economy tickets which are subject to additional restrictions including, but not limited to: no seat selection or upgrades, no group or family seating, no full - sized carry - on bags and no flight changes or refunds except as stated in the United 24 - hour flexible booking policy.
Anyone who follows this blog, or any other travel blog for that matter, knows that
Basic Economy tickets suck.
It doesn't matter if they are American, Delta or United
Basic Economy tickets, they all come with a ton of travel restrictions such as no advance seat assignments, no cabin baggage allowances, no miles accrual and a host of other passenger annoyances such as being the absolute last group to board an aircraft.
And if United is aiming to match prices with low - cost carriers like Norwegian or WOW Air, which already operate using what is equal to
basic economy tickets that are even cheaper than most fares, all the other major carriers are likely to follow suit.
Not exact matches
Regular
economy tickets on the carrier cost about $ 30 to $ 40 more than
basic economy.
(The airline announced on Tuesday that passengers holding a «
basic economy»
ticket will be limited to one bag that fits under your seat.)
Alaska's Saver Fare
tickets will function in a similar manner to the unbundled no - frills
basic economy fares offered by American, Delta, and United Airlines.
Economy class
tickets N (
Basic Economy) will earn zero miles.
Economy Delight,
Economy Classic and
Economy Light will complement Delta's Comfort +, Main Cabin and
Basic Economy products — always offering a three course meal, Wi - Fi, hundreds of hours of inflight entertainment and excellent service regardless of the
ticket type.
(6) Same - Day Standby: If you are unable to secure flights with the same - day confirmed option, we offer the option to stand by free of charge to Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion Members at the kiosk,
ticket counter or through reservations, except when flying on a
Basic Economy (E) fare.
MileagePlus Upgrade Awards can be used on any United -, United Express - or Copa - operated flight, with no fare restrictions except for
tickets containing a
Basic Economy fare.
Basic Economy and certain specialty
tickets, including but not limited to unpublished, consolidator / bulk, group, tour and opaque fares, do not earn Premier qualifying credits.
Basic Economy (N)
tickets are also excluded from earning Premier qualifying credit (PQM / PQS / PQD).
Just keep in mind that
tickets purchased in
Basic Economy (N fare class) are not eligible for this promotion.
Delta first introduced
Basic Economy fares which offer reduced amenities and flexibility relative to standard economy class tickets back i
Economy fares which offer reduced amenities and flexibility relative to standard
economy class tickets back i
economy class
tickets back in 2012.
Overall it's worth reiterating what I've said about
basic Economy / hand baggage only fares before — these fares are not about offering flyers seats at a new low price point, they're about getting passengers to pay what they've always paid but for a
ticket that comes with fewer benefits.
For instance, if you have Chase Ultimate Rewards points or American Express Membership Rewards points and you book a
ticket through those bank sites, you could face those seat reservation and boarding restrictions if you select a
basic economy seat.
They claim the fares are a competitive response to ultra-low cost carriers like... [Read more...] about Credit Card Portals Still Selling
Tickets in
Basic Economy, Causing Trouble
Usually a
basic economy fare will cost you 25,000 miles and up to 40,000 miles depending on if you fly during a peak travel time, but since I live in Alaska
ticket prices are usually $ 200 + per
ticket and 7,500 - 15,000 more in rewards miles than in most of the lower 48 states.
Basic Economy fares are not eligible for paid or complimentary upgrades, paid, complimentary or discounted Delta Comfort +, paid or complimentary Preferred Seats and are not eligible to make
ticket changes including Same - Day Confirmed or Same - Day Standby travel changes, regardless of Medallion or other elite status.