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This is just UA rebranding the current Economy ticket as Basic Economy. The prices will not go down. You will simply pay more for what you currently have.
They are creating three classes of Economy Class ticket. Right now, there are only two: nonrefundable (what most of us buy, costs $200 to make a date change), and flexible (fully refundable, changeable without paying a fee, costs a fortune so generally only business travelers fly these). United is now adding a third: Basic Economy (not only nonrefundable but not changeable at all, can't select a seat in advance but will get one assigned at checkin, not permitted a carryon only a personal item, boards last, will be the least expensive of the three). Once Basic Economy is in place, look for the prices of standard nonrefundable Economy and flexible Economy to go up.
Spirit Airlines just announced that for an extra $50 they'll let you sit inside the aircraft rather that duct-taping you to the outside of the fuselage.
Allegiant already does this (both the overhead bin and separating family members). I think the bin is $20 and checking is $30.
It used to separate all family members, but now I think the policy is changed to keep families together if the child would otherwise be an unaccompanied minor. I think it's just not practical otherwise. I remember being on flights where they'd separate someone barely old enough for her own seat from a parent and then when the parents realized they'd be separated, Allegiant would be demanding the passengers pay $35 a pop if they wanted to sit in one of the available seats next to their 3-year-old child. Meanwhile, some poor passengers were stuck next to a crying, abandoned, 3-year-old 10 rows away from Mom or Dad.
I liked nothing better than to sit in 23A and drop off my 3 year old at 15b. Let some other people deal with him.
I was sitting next to a crying baby on the plane and asked the flight attendant if I could be moved. Apparently you can't do that if it's your own child.
It will be easy to enforce. If you buy the discounted economy ticket you will be in the dead last boarding group. You will not get past the gate agent with a carry on unless you paid for it..
People who bought a Basic Economy ticket won't even have the option of paying for a carryon. They won't be permitted to board with one, period. And if they try to do so, not only will the carryon be forcibly gate-checked, they will be charged a fee for gate-checking it.
Basically, anyone in the last boardng group won't be permitted on the plane if they're carrying anything bigger than a purse, briefcase, or very small backpack. One item allowed only, and it has to go under the seat.
Unfortunately the public has repeatedly shown through its collective behavior that low, low price trumps everything.
I really do wish that everyone was willing to pay a bit more for a comfortable in-flight experience, but that simply won't happen. Unfortunately I expect Basic Economy will be popular.
Last edited by toosie; 12-07-2016 at 06:00 PM..
Reason: Deleted quoted material
Yes it is silly, but what you said was they could just check the bins before the flight takes off and pull everything that didn't belong to the front. That's just dumb. Nobody is going to put it up there before the flight if they didn't pay for it. They will wait till first chance they get mid-flight, then take it out of the foot area and put it up top.. THEN WHAT DO YOU DO?? How do you check to see people aren't cheating it, and just putting there bags up top during the flight..
What do you do? Nothing. There won't be any space by then. And if there is , so what? The reason for the lower ticket class isn't to keep your bags out of the bins but to ensure there is space in the bins for the regular ticket class.
I can see it now...everyone will be stuffing their larger bags under the seat in front of them, making the incredibly cramped seating even worse. I'm fine with charging for extras that not everyone needs...checked bags, seat choice, soda, etc. But how many people don't need to bring luggage on a trip?
If United successfully implements this, I have little doubt other airlines will as well.
Delta already has (as usual, United is just following Delta's lead). What's different, though is that United's version of Basic Economy, unlike Delta's, specifically disallows carryons (making United's version of this new fare class marginally worse than Delta's version).
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