Wife is Taking the Airlines

A1Topgun

A1Topgun

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Ron
She has a short window of time when she can go and visit her grandbaby so she has to take the airlines. This is what you get for over $500. One carry on, such as a purse, is allowed and it must fit under the seat. You are not allowed to use the over head bins.

All this and I can't believe they still fill the planes. Cattle cars with wings.


  • United Basic Economy Fare Rules
    Restrictions include:
  • No complimentary seat selection — pay to choose seats, or seats will be assigned prior to boarding.

  • You may travel with a personal item that fits under the seat in front of you, but can't bring a full-sized carry-on bag on board unless you're a MileagePlus® Premier® member, primary card member of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card or Star Alliance™ Gold member. Check bags before airport security for the applicable fee (starting at $25). Full-sized carry-on bags brought to the gate incur an additional $25 gate handling charge (total starting at $50).

  • The ticket is nonrefundable and can't be changed.

  • You'll earn award miles, but you will not earn Premier qualifying credit or toward lifetime miles, and you will not be eligible for Economy Plus® seating or any upgrades. American Airlines Basic Economy Fare Rules
    Restrictions include:

  • 1 personal item that fits under the seat (no access to overhead bin)

  • Seats assigned at check-in*

  • Not eligible for upgrades*

  • No flight changes or refunds*

  • Board in last group
    *Restrictions apply to all passengers, including AAdvantage elite members

  • We understand that sometimes plans change. We do not charge a cancel or change fee. When the airline charges such fees in accordance with its own policies, the cost will be passed on to you.

  • Tickets are nonrefundable, nontransferable and name changes are not allowed.

  • Please read the complete penalty rules for changes and cancellations (Opens in a new window.) applicable to this fare.

  • Please read important information regarding airline liability limitations (Opens in a new window.).
 
Where is she going? While I could totally be on board with the no carry on luggage I disagree with charging to check it.
 
Interesting . . .
My wife and I flew commercial this past weekend. We flew stand-by and only had a backpack each (plus her purse), so I can't comment on any baggage fees personally, except to say this . . . just before, and during, the boarding process, this particular major airline (not the one mentioned in the original post) announced that they would accept any carry-on bag to check through to the destination at *no additional charge.*
Not all airlines are created equal . . .
 
kc4wsd said:
Interesting . . .
My wife and I flew commercial this past weekend. We flew stand-by and only had a backpack each (plus her purse), so I can't comment on any baggage fees personally, except to say this . . . just before, and during, the boarding process, this particular major airline (not the one mentioned in the original post) announced that they would accept any carry-on bag to check through to the destination at *no additional charge.*
Not all airlines are created equal . . .
Click to expand...

Actually, they kind of are. That same airline probably has a similar basic economy fare, where one must not show up with anything other than the single personal item for under the seat. Their 'check you bag for free' offer is targeted mainly at the other fares, people with rolling bags they plan to put in the overhead. Those bags really slow down the boarding process, so checking them at the gate gets things moving towards that all important closure of the door, which is what everyone is looking at these days. Once they got to the last thirty or so passengers, I bet they 'received an indication that all overhead bins are full' :rolleyes: and made everyone check the large bags headed for the overhead.

There are some rolling bags out there that are of the correct dimensions to be classified as a personal item for under the seat, we have gotten a good amount of stuff in them before when travelling the likes of Spirit.
 
Read this about Basic Economy:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...ory.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.86447af5642b

It’s basically the Big 3’s response to airlines like Spirit. On the flip side the airlines are offering a premium economy product with fewer restrictions, additional legroom, free booze, and so on. So they're attempting to sell multiple classes of coach seats depending on the preferences of the customer.
 
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People buy the cheapest fare and then complain about the restrictions.

I took the Basic Economy ticket over the summer on United. The restrictions are annoying, but it has the disclaimer stated on the fare before you buy. I’m a light traveler, so I just tossed my stuff into a backpack and that worked for a small personal item and there were no issues. If you need to travel with your whole wardrobe, than be sure to buy the correct ticket.
 
Yea I was kind of thinking flying halfway across the country for 250.00 each way is a pretty good deal even if you have to pay extra for luggage.
 
Yep, American has a similar fare. You board in group 9. Underseat bag only. Nor upgradeable period (not even if you have Admirals Club or one of the credit cards that give you a free bag).

Frankly, in my opinion, the overhead bin is the BANE of air travel. I'd give everybody a checked bag for free and charge $40 to carry anything on board that doesn't fit under the seat. Then we could get on and off the plane in less than 30 minutes and we wouldn't need the silly nine boarding categories.
 
@catmandu you are probably 100% correct. We were flying on the coattails of our son, who is an employee of one of the regionals. That being said, we didn't purchase tickets through traditional means.
I was also surprised to learn that there is now a section between first class and the "sardine" section. Plus, the whole plane was offered coffee, water, soft drinks, and a tiny bag of snacks. I thought all the "free" stuff was long gone . . . shows how often *I* fly commercial. LOL!
 
Yeah, if you book "Basic Economy" instead of "Economy" on United, it comes with all the restrictions regarding seat assignment and carry-ons. I don't really see the problem as it's just another class of airfare, i.e. more choice to the consumer. As a United Gold member, I get the free upgrade to Economy Plus, which has the additional leg room as well. You get what you pay for. I can't imagine getting airfare much cheaper than $500 for traveling half-way across the continent and back. You may be able to catch an SWA fare for a bit cheaper, but not likely by a meaningful amount.
 
Yep, don't book the Basic Economy. Usually the savings between Basic and Regular Economy isn't much.
 
I just booked a trip halfway across the country involving two different airports at my destination (I'm driving between the the two) and the total round trip is $107 including all fees and taxes. It's got all the restrictions the OP listed except it is fully refundable for 24 hours and changeable all the way up to departure.

The catch is I can only fly on one or two days of the week, its Frontier.
 
Rushie said:
The catch is I can only fly on one or two days of the week, its Frontier.
Click to expand...

I’ve considered Frontier in the recent past, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet as their route performance for my city-pairs has a fairly high delay or cancel rate.
 
I don't fly all that much, but when I do, it's usually Delta since I'm in Atlanta, and we always choose main cabin, which allows you to take a carry on bag and a personal item, and you pick your seats at purchase.

I hear a certain amount of complaining about the airlines, but I don't think all of it is justified. The standard seats are smallish without a lot of legroom, but they're comfortable. the climate control works well, and barring big weather, they're usually close to schedule. If the whole TSA thing bothers you a lot, by all means spend the $85 to get PreCheck status, that makes it much less intrusive. I don't have it because I don't fly that often, but when I'm traveling with my family we usually get it anyway. For trips of more than 500 miles, there really aren't any other good options, unless you own a cabin class twin, which not too many of us do.
 
Too bad Southwest doesn't serve the pair you're traveling, because they allow two checked bags at no extra charge. SWA is rarely the cheapest, but you can bet they'll usually be competitive on matched city pairs, and their presence on those pairs inevitably keeps fares for all carriers somewhat in check.

When I have a trip where I have to be there and I want to fly myself, but weather may be a concern, I buy a Southwest ticket, because I can always cancel for a full refund.
 
flyingron said:
Yep, American has a similar fare. You board in group 9. Underseat bag only. Nor upgradeable period (not even if you have Admirals Club or one of the credit cards that give you a free bag).

Frankly, in my opinion, the overhead bin is the BANE of air travel. I'd give everybody a checked bag for free and charge $40 to carry anything on board that doesn't fit under the seat. Then we could get on and off the plane in less than 30 minutes and we wouldn't need the silly nine boarding categories.
Click to expand...
How much time do you want to spend at check-in to give them your luggage, and then wait for it on the carousel? Both directions.
 
If I had a Turbo Arrow, this would be a trip worth getting on the cannulas and skyhooking it.
 
paflyer said:
How much time do you want to spend at check-in to give them your luggage, and then wait for it on the carousel? Both directions.
Click to expand...
With the modern tag-it-yourself, about 2 minutes to drop off(30 seconds if I tag it at home), and if I hit the restroom on the way to baggage claim then only a couple minutes to pick up. Sure nicer to have all my sharp, pointy tools and 4 oz toiletry bottles with me.
 
So how do they restrict you from using the overhead storage? Did they remove it all?
 
SCCutler said:
SWA is rarely the cheapest, but you can bet they'll usually be competitive on matched city pairs, and their presence on those pairs inevitably keeps fares for all carriers somewhat in check.
Click to expand...
Really? SWA usually always runs the cheapest in my experiences. Usually always compare between the big three (AAL, DAL, UAL) and SWA is most always the lowest, especially if you can snag one of their ‘wanna get away’ fares.
 
flhrci said:
So how do they restrict you from using the overhead storage? Did they remove it all?
Click to expand...
They don’t. The carry-on or small personal item is only enforced when you go up to the ticketing counter when you check-in prior the flight (online check-in is not available with a Basic Economy Fare.)
 
flyingron said:
the overhead bin is the BANE of air travel. I'd give everybody a checked bag for free and charge $40 to carry anything on board that doesn't fit under the seat. Then we could get on and off the plane in less than 30 minutes and we wouldn't need the silly nine boarding categories.
Click to expand...

I totally agree on that.
 
hindsight2020 said:
If I had a Turbo Arrow, this would be a trip worth getting on the cannulas and skyhooking it.
Click to expand...

Definitely, on the return trip. Impressive GS for an Arrow, hit 200 Kts a few times, very often 175 - 180 Kts. But usually heading west is low to avoid the head wind.
 
TCABM said:
I’ve considered Frontier in the recent past, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet as their route performance for my city-pairs has a fairly high delay or cancel rate.
Click to expand...

True, that's what kept me hesitant to go with them and if I absolutely had to be at the destination I'd probably go back to AAL.
 
paflyer said:
How much time do you want to spend at check-in to give them your luggage, and then wait for it on the carousel? Both directions.
Click to expand...

It's usually not that big of a deal. Takes an extra 5 minutes most places to go to a kiosk and get the luggage checked. The back-end sometimes takes longer, depending on the airport's efficiency on getting the bags to the carousel. DAL/DFW are pretty good about getting the luggage to the carousel within 5 minutes or so, PIT is a bit of a wait (10-15 minutes), IAH is almost obnoxiously long sometimes depending on which terminal you came in to.
 
$500 would barely cover the round trip cost of purchasing gas for driving back and forth, never mind the time savings.

It’s dirt cheap for what you’re getting.
 
Rex Kramer said:
It’s dirt cheap for what you’re getting.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree it IS dirt cheap for what you are getting.
It's just that "back in the day" I flew Denver to Atlanta several times a year and you were treated like a REAL customer, with meals in coach and often an empty seat next to you so you could stretch out. Times have changed.
I guess I am getting old, it's not what it used to be.
 
A1Topgun said:
Yes, I agree it IS dirt cheap for what you are getting.
It's just that "back in the day" I flew Denver to Atlanta several times a year and you were treated like a REAL customer, with meals in coach and often an empty seat next to you so you could stretch out. Times have changed.
I guess I am getting old, it's not what it used to be.
Click to expand...
It’s also a lot cheaper than it used to be.
 
flyingron said:
Yep, American has a similar fare. You board in group 9. Underseat bag only. Nor upgradeable period (not even if you have Admirals Club or one of the credit cards that give you a free bag).

Frankly, in my opinion, the overhead bin is the BANE of air travel. I'd give everybody a checked bag for free and charge $40 to carry anything on board that doesn't fit under the seat. Then we could get on and off the plane in less than 30 minutes and we wouldn't need the silly nine boarding categories.
Click to expand...

I'd also get on-board with that if there were some guarantee that bags would be delivered quickly and not lost. A friend of mine went to Toronto with his SO, and one checked bag went to Toronto, the other to Montreal. Both were checked at the same time with the same agent and PNR. He's still waiting. I was traveling with a colleague who had to wait 45 minutes to get a checked bag at one airport, and I have seen it take as much as an hour at DFW and PHL.

If the airlines were required to refund check-bag fees for delayed or lost/misdirected bags, that would be a start. There is no such requirement. Even better if there is a penalty as there is for overbooking.

If you add up all the extras, you may find the cost of the basic economy, plus baggage fee, plus seat fee, plus whatever else they're charging for these days, you may find that a more expensive coach ticket is actually cheaper. I've seen that with both AA and UA. Some airlines have actually gotten rational with paid first class - effectively reducing the number of upgrades.
 
wsuffa said:
A friend of mine went to Toronto with his SO, and one checked bag went to Toronto, the other to Montreal. Both were checked at the same time with the same agent and PNR. He's still waiting.
Click to expand...
What was he complaining about, both bag went to Canada!
 
A1Topgun said:
Yes, I agree it IS dirt cheap for what you are getting.
It's just that "back in the day" I flew Denver to Atlanta several times a year and you were treated like a REAL customer, with meals in coach and often an empty seat next to you so you could stretch out. Times have changed.
I guess I am getting old, it's not what it used to be.
Click to expand...

So buy a first class ticket. You can have cheap, and you can have good. You can’t have both at the same time.
 
flhrci said:
So how do they restrict you from using the overhead storage? Did they remove it all?
Click to expand...
There is no restriction on using the overhead bins. The only restriction is that your one bag must meet the requirements of a "personal item" which, by definition, must fit under the seat.

The Basic Economy passengers board in the last boarding group so finding space in the overhead bins may be difficult on full flights (as most are these days) but, if there is room, the BE passenger can use it.
 
A1Topgun said:
...and often an empty seat next to you so you could stretch out. Times have changed.
Click to expand...
You’re annoyed that the airline is actually selling more of its product and filling the plane with passengers? You could have bought the seat next to you and had it empty for the flight to stretch out.
 
Sluggo63 said:
You’re annoyed that the airline is actually selling more of its product and filling the plane with passengers? You could have bought the seat next to you and had it empty for the flight to stretch out.
Click to expand...
That seat is now reserved for Mr. Cello. No. the point is that the airlines have become strictly a bottom line operation. Seat pitch has been reduced so that another row can be added for six more passengers. Not to mention the "average" passenger is now 10 pounds larger.
The glory days of airline travel are gone.
 
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