United Airlines has issued a blanket waiver on change fees for all new bookings through the end of the month. The shrewd policy is meant to stimulate demand for new bookings and allay the coronavirus fears of nervous passengers.
United Waives Change Fees On All Fares
The policy is simple:
- Any ticket purchased between March 3 at 3:00 p.m. CST and March 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CST will not incur change fees
- This is available for any of United’s published nonrefundable fares
- If you decide to cancel your flight, you can retain the value of your ticket to be applied to a new ticket without fee for travel up to 12 months from the original issue date
That means normally non-changeable Basic Economy fares also fall under this policy, as do award tickets.
You’ll still pay any fare difference when you end up rebooking, but the change fee ($200-500 depending upon the itinerary) will be waived and there is no limit to the number of times you can change your ticket.
Shrewd + Generous Are Not Mutually Exclusive
One Mile at a Time called the waiver “very generous” and lauded United for its move. I agree with him, comparatively speaking. While American and Delta have offered far more limited waivers, United’s is very generous and puts customers in a better position than those who purchased tickets as recently as a day earlier.
But don’t think the latest round of change fee waivers are about anything other than drumming up business. With demand in freefall in several markets, the change fee waivers are not an act of benevolence, but an act of desperation to jumpstart sales.
CONCLUSION
Will this spur business? Probably, but also probably not to the degree incoming CEO Scott Kirby is hoping for. But this move will be an interesting experiment. Southwest Airlines claims it makes more money by not charging change fees because customers make more changes to tickets and end up paying higher fares. Now United has a chance to see whether a similar business model actually leads to higher passenger revenue.
Are you more comfortable buying a United ticket knowing you can change your travel plans for no fee?
image: United
I don’t see prices plummeting though. They are holding firm on prices.
That’s because this industry runs as a cartel , despite all the “free market”, level playing field BS often mentioned by the members.
The whole US is a cartel. The fed funds repo to pump money into the stock market to bail out overleveraged hedge funds.
Free market my foot. And Republicans trying to convince anyone that they are capitalists.
Can you find me a better place to live than the USA?
Yes, Canada, Australia, and most of Western Europe. And if you tell me “if you like it better then you should move there”, I’m one step ahead of you, I’ve lived in all three and currently living abroad.
Can you clarify if I book a ticket now for a flight say…in November, I can cancel/change without the change fee??
I don’t get it…
I purchased a ticket in January for travel during March… Why wave a change fee for tickets purchased during a known bad time… and NOT for tickets purchased before it was known to be bad?
Fair point, but airlines will always do what they can get away with it…
Yeah I was supposed to fly SFO-ICN this Friday, and that is the only route to South Korea that did not get cancelled. So I still pay $200 change fee. It is what it is…but it’s just my luck, huh?
Same – I’m booked SLC-Brazil and back next week (purchased 2/28) and the customer postponed the meeting this morning. The ticket was overpriced to begin with (same amount as discounted BIZ to EUR but Y fare to BR). Guess who gets stuck with the change fee and my TA couldn’t even get UA to bat an eye. But, funny, my CGH-SDU internal/personal flight booked the same day, UA refunded the entire amount, no questions asked. Things that make you go hmmmm.
I was just thinking about that also.
My trip is 4/30
Nothing yet..Maybe luggage or something??
So, to be clear, if you bought a ticket, let’s say, from Seattle, before March 3rd, when there was no outbreak, you have to pay a change fee. If you bought it after you knew there was an outbreak, then no problem.
It is not “very generous” at all and just a PR stunt with all the legacies. In my situation, a 90K attendee conference was just cancelled for this week and I was supposed to fly out yesterday (Tuesday) and return on Saturday. It is now a trip in vain…UA will not waive the change fee since the ticket was booked in February. I get it is a business but still rather annoying…
Yup, agree with all the people above. This isn’t anything other than hoping to make people buy tickets. Those of us who bought tickets without knowing what was coming are SOL. Why I get not letting everyone change their tickets, I really wish they’d extend the courtesy to those in high risk groups. My 75 and 70 year old in-laws, one of whom is on kidney dialysis, were set to fly to visit us in Hawaii on 4/6…..now they have to pay $$$ to stay alive. 🙁 Yes, not the airline’s fault….but then again change fees were ALWAYS just a money-grab.
It’s a marketing stunt. United introduced this year new premier status requirements, which make it even harder to reach a status. With the dwindling business travels, the ones who cannot reach a status and don’t live next to a United exclusive hub can look elsewhere for other airlines. United has only to lose more in the long run.
I bought my ticket two months ago to travel in April. Now United says they are cutting flights by 20% in April. When will I know if my flight is one that is cut. I can’t even change my ticket without a fee. Not very happy right now.
Delta has just matched UA’s waiver policy! Funny that DL is copying UA this time around!
I’ll admit, the new policies are going to spur me to accelerate a couple of airfare purchases, one to take my family to Alaska in June, and the other to go to India early next year. I can change the dates later without penalty, so why not?
But it does feel a little bush-league to offer nothing to those who booked earlier but now have their plans disrupted.
Why would you buy now if your dates are not fixed? Even if you don’t pay the change fee, you will still end up paying then-current prices. Thus is not a ticket voucher.
In fact, by buying now, you’re locked in UA fares. Other airlines may be cheaper later.
Also, $200 per passenger has always been bull sheet. It doesn’t cost the company that much in admin costs or to resell your tickets to another chump at a higher price later. What of they can’t sell it, you ask? That is only a possibility when load factors are below 80%. No airline runs under 80%
So I call bullsheet.
Southwest charges $0 change fees. All other airlines are greedy ****holes.
Matthew, would you please clarify AA’s new policy? I believe it is valid on all tickets purchased between 3/2/20 and 3/16/20. I am hearing there is no change fee, but can I outright cancel the flight and retain airline credit? Thanks!
I bought my ticket two months ago to travel in April. Now United says they are cutting flights by 20% in April. When will I know if my flight is one that is cut. I can’t even change my ticket without a fee. Not very happy right now.
March 7th it will go public
What was really generous was BA–before the latest change. Had an F ticket ex-ARN to SIN booked many months back, outbound already flown, wanted to change the inbound because of Covid-19. Called up the BAEC line, initially the agent was unsure, talked to her supervisor, then allowed me to push the inbound all the way back to within 1 year of the outbound (original ticket conditions). No change fee, no fare difference paid (not sure if there was no difference, or if it was also waived, but the ticket was booked during a massive sale or one of those ridiculous fares… Anyhow, the new ticket change rules kicked in a few days later.
Thank you for calling “a duck, a duck.” These policies are more self serving than anything. People are not booking and it’s a way to smooth out revenue for the airlines during this time of volatility.
United offered any previously ticket purchase they would waive the fee. After 1:20 mins on the phone united said the change fee was waived but the fare code increased by $250 for RT ORD-SYD ticket. What a load of crock. They moved the change fee into a fare code increase charge. United should be ashamed for treating its Million Mile Flyer Gold Member like this. Shows nothing is for sure except they will find anyway to make money!
Also after several attempts to do online it timed out so you do have to call and wait to be able to make any changes.