United Airlines Offers New Basic Economy Seating Option

United Airlines has gradually made its Basic Economy fares more flexible. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have even more seating options when booking a Basic Economy ticket. Specifically, United will now offer Basic Economy passengers the option of purchasing EconomyPlus seats during check-in.

United Will Sell EconomyPlus To Basic Economy Passengers

When United first introduced Basic Economy, seating was totally at the whim of the gate agent. Pre-assigned seats were not available, even for purchase. Over time, however, United saw a missed revenue opportunity and eventually allowed Basic Economy passengers to pay for advance seat assignments. The restriction, however, was that those seat assignments were limited to “United Economy” only. EconomyPlus (or first class) seats were not available for purchase, as the intent of these Basic Economy fares was to dissuade would-be upgraders from buying them.

But with the pandemic altering demand and more customers seeking social distance onboard, United will make another change to its Basic Economy seating policy. Effective August 26, 2020, customers can purchase EconomyPlus at check-in.

With United’s new standby automation technology, Basic Economy passengers are automatically cleared 30 minutes prior to takeoff. That technology potentially limits getting those seats for free. However, it is worth remembering that sometimes Basic Economy passengers wind up with the best seat on the airplane at no extra charge...

> Read More: One Surprising Reason to Buy United Basic Economy
> Read More: United Airlines Seeks To Eliminate Upgrade Shenanigans With Standby Process Automation

CONCLUSION

United will now sell EconomyPlus seats to Basic Economy passengers. Let this news also be a reminder to MileagePlus Premier Silver members. Silver members are eligible for complimentary EconomyPlus seating, but only at check-in. These members may now have more competition for the same number of seats.