Basic Economy from United Airlines strips away all remaining frills, including your dignity

DJM
DJM
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read

I booked my first flight with United Airlines since they started their “Basic Economy” ticket option. This is United’s plan to upcharge for basic services like overhead luggage and choosing a seat, similar to low-cost carriers such as Spirit and Frontier.

I didn’t intend to book a Basic Economy flight, but I use Google Flights and didn’t flag it at the time, which apparently is a common problem. It’s the smallest a sample size can be — one flight — but the price also did not seem any cheaper than other tickets I’ve purchased for the same route, which I fly several times per year.

If I had to guess, United probably likes the basic economy fare because it lands their flights towards the top of lowest-price results for travel search engines like Expedia, Orbitz, and Kayak. Cynical consumers out there — close to everyone, at this point — probably will connect the dots: United is going to get more people on their planes, they aren’t really going to charge less than before, and they’re going to start collecting a lot more in bag and seat reservation fees.

Let’s put all that to the side. I didn’t know I was booking basic economy, but I knew what I was getting into when I kept the reservation. I’ve flown Greyhound Airways before and I know how the game is played: stuff a regular size backpack to the gills with clothes and toiletries, load up on Vitamin C, and keep your expectations low.

Apparently I need to set them even lower. When I checked in for my flight this afternoon I wasn’t allowed to access my ticket. Here’s the message I got:

To recap: a Basic Economy ticket does not allow me to bring an overhead bag. I told them I would not require one when I checked in online for my flight, and they told me I have to report to their check-in counter at the airport, show them my personal item, and then they will give me my ticket.

They are treating their customers like an overprotective father treats a teenage girl before she leaves the house on a Friday night, breaking out the ruler to measure the hem on her dress before letting her meet up with her friends.

But that isn’t even the most rage-inducing part of this policy. One of the few things that has improved with airline travel over the past decade — aside from the whole keeping the terrorists off the planes things — is the way technology has improved much of the experience that precedes the flight. On an airline that still caters to human beings, I can check in for my flight with an app or my phone’s web browser from almost any place in the world. There’s nothing to print, no check-in counter line to deal with — just show up at the airport and let them scan your phone. United has decided that the rough beasts booking their Basic Economy tickets will not even be allowed this dignity.

Tomorrow I will go to the United counter, hold up my backpack with one hand and my middle finger on the other, get on a plane back to my home, and then book all my future flights with Southwest.

Culture Sift

Entertainment, culture, sports, literature, politics, and anything else that tickles our fancy.

DJM

Written by

DJM

Culture Sift

Entertainment, culture, sports, literature, politics, and anything else that tickles our fancy.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade