Ugh: United Launches Basic Premium Economy And Polaris Fares
Airlines have successfully wielded Basic Economy fares to get passengers to pay more for what used to be included in all fares. The network carriers have also used it as a successful tool to steal away passengers from low-cost carriers.
Delta already signaled their intention to bring basic fares to premium cabins, but United has beat them to the punch.
If you’re flying to Buenos Aires, Lima, Santiago, Sao Paulo, or Rio de Janeiro, you will now see basic fares in Economy, Premium Economy, and Business. Expect this to launch in more markets shortly.
Basic Economy means no assigned seat, no changes, no upgrades, and no free checked bags. If you don’t have a United card, it also means earning zero miles.
Here’s a comparison for a one-way flight from Newark to Sao Paulo on June 9th. You can now buy a basic fare, a standard fare, or a flexible (refundable fare) in each cabin:
Base Premium (does base sound fancier than basic?) means no assigned seat, no changes, no upgrades, and 1 free checked bag. If you don’t have a United card, it also means earning zero miles.
Base Business means no assigned seat, no changes, no upgrades to Polaris Studio, and 1 free checked bag. If you don’t have a United card, it also means earning zero miles. You will also only get United Club access you will not get Polaris Lounge access.
United elites and cardmembers won’t be exempt from the seat assignment fee.
In premium, that fee ranged from $69-$94 and in business class, that fee ranged from $94-$124.
While none of the basic fares allow for free changes, they do allow cancellations for a fee, which will convert the fare to travel credit. The fee will vary by route, which you can check in the fare rules. For a one-way flight from Newark to Sao Paulo, the penalty is $299 in basic economy, $400 in base premium, and $500 in base business.
For now, United award tickets book into the fully flexible and refundable category. Hopefully, things stay that way, and United doesn’t match Delta’s punitive award structure in the race to the bottom.
What do you think about basic premium cabin fares? Will you take advantage of the cost savings, or will you upgrade to a standard premium cabin fare?
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