8 Ways Basic Economy Fares Can Ruin Your Trip
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How Basic Economy Fares Can Ruin Your Trip
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Limited or Fee-Only Seat Assignments
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No Group or Family Seating
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You'll Be Last to Board
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Forget About Upgrades...
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...or Changes of Any Kind
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You Might Not Get Full Mileage Credit
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Don't Expect Expedited Security
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More from SmarterTravel:
- 5 Ways to Survive a Flight in Basic Economy
- 10 Airport Apps You'll Actually Use
- The 4 Different Types of Economy Airfare, Explained
https://youtu.be/_YQqM4c_4ec
With Alaska Airlines set to join American, Delta, and United in offering no-frills basic economy fares (Alaska will be calling them Saver Fares), almost every airline in the U.S. market now offers some form of bare-bones, nothing-but-a-seat flights.
At first, this doesn't seem like a bad thing. If your primary objective is to get from point A to point B, why worry about frills of any kind? But the problem arises when you're unaware of just how minimal some of these offerings can be. For instance, who ever thought that a major airline would sell you a fare that explicitly has zero free access to overhead bins?
It's worth noting that Southwest, Hawaiian, and JetBlue have so far avoided basic economy fares, and are worth a look if you are flying on their routes.
In the spirit of "forewarned is forearmed," following is a guide to the disadvantages of purchasing a basic economy fare—any of which could cause some major irritation on your trip.
Note that most of these practices are simply standard policy on ultra-discount airlines such as Spirit and Frontier; for that reason I haven't included their fare rules below. When booking a flight on such airlines, expect plenty of restrictions and fees for just about everything, including seat assignments and carry-on bags.
Seat assignments for flyers on basic economy fares vary by airline, but in general you get what you're given. American will charge $40 and up for a seat assignment 48 hours before checking in; United allows the same for $5 or $10. On Delta, seats are assigned at check-in; Alaska plans to let you pick seats at the time of booking, but they will apparently be in the back of the plane.
Even if you fly an airline that does permit some basic economy seat selection, sitting together is not guaranteed. United's basic economy fare offering specifically says "no group or family seating," while Delta restricts the ability to "select available seats, including seats together"—so be careful about basic economy fares if you are traveling with young kids.
Related:13 Tips That Take (Some of) the Stress Out of Flying with Kids
Flyers on basic economy fares will be in the last boarding group in almost all cases. So even for airlines that do allow you to use (or pay for) space in the overhead bins, there's no guarantee that you will actually find any remaining.
Related:9 Best Basic Economy Personal Items to Hold All Your Stuff
Even if you want to shell out the cash to upgrade from your basic economy fare, in many cases you are not allowed. This includes elite flyers.
As noted above, American does allow you to purchase seat assignments starting 48 hours before your flight, but otherwise no fare class changes are permitted. United says that "Upgrades and Economy Plus are not available"; in other words, you will get what you paid for and can't decide later to upgrade at all. Delta and Alaska also prohibit upgrades for flyers on basic economy fares.
Forget about same-day ticket changes or standby flying if you're on a basic economy fare. Alaska, United, Delta, and Alaska all prohibit such changes, even if you're willing to pay the fare difference.
If you are thinking of flying basic economy to help you rack up miles, think again. For example, on American, even if you are an elite flyer, you will earn only half the air miles; meanwhile, on United, you get the miles, but no Premier credit.
Delta and Alaska, however, are more generous and permit normal mileage accrual.
Unless you are a TSA PreCheck and/or Global Entry member, don't expect a magic expedited security stamp on your boarding pass; you are so far at bottom of list that you're not on the list.
Ed Hewitt is a seasoned globetrotter who brings you a monthly glimpse into the latest travel news, views, and trends—and how they could affect your travel plans.