Recently booked a RT flight on American . The choices were basic economy for $217 pp or $ 617 for main cabin. This seems like a large difference! since it is just for my husband traveling and there were many seats still avail for this May trip, I just booked basic economy. Is main cabin regular economy on American?
Traveled the same trip in early March and paid $ 440+ for each seat on basic economy. I was able to pay extra for seats @72 hrs before flight, because I found out it was overbooked. At the terminal they need 6 people to give up seats for a $1000.00 voucher!
Check in at a kiosk has never taken me more than 5-10 minutes. Anyone who doesn’t leave that kind of buffer has only themself to blame.
I think the reason they make people check in at the airport is so they can give the better seats to people with higher fare tickets. Basic economy doesn’t guarantee people traveling together can be seated together so I would imagine the airline wants people who have fares that do to be able to select seats next to each other.
On the last leg of the recent trip from overseas (this was a domestic flight home from JFK) we were listed #2 and 3 for a first class upgrade, and there were 3 seats available. Then suddenly, just before boarding, someone must have checked in and bumped us to 3 and 4 (and only one of us would get it). I gave it to DH as he wasn’t feeling well (I was actually higher than him on the list b/c I am gold and he is silver). So we are all seated (I am in economy comfort) and ready to take off… and they come looking for me as someone didnt show for a first class seat so I got moved up. Very strange that everyone had checked in (I assume) and then someone didnt make the flight.
@$1000/seat, that’s tempting, as long as it doesn’t mess up other appointments and will guarantee you’ll be on the next flight to where you’re supposed to be going.
When we got our voucher for $1,080 from American in February, we discovered it was a PAPER voucher, not an electronic one. We weren’t allowed to merely enter a code and have the amount credited towards the cost of our next trip. So I called American (of course, they charged us a fee for talking to a person!). She went ahead and tentatively made the reservations, but we had to MAIL the voucher to American’s office in Dallas to get the credit! She explained that airport personnel don’t have the ability to issue e-vouchers. She said they’re in the process of changing that.
I sent the voucher by certified mail, of course. They credited the amount fairly quickly and finalized the reservations. There was some money left over, so they did give me an e-voucher for that part. We are using to it to let D accompany S and me to Austin next month.
I’ve always been able to get United to waive the fee for talking to an agent when I explain it’s due to technical difficulties on their website or something that they (United) caused. If I had a paper certificate, I’d explain that and expect them to get the fee waived.
“What other reason could there be for not allowing passengers to check in on the web or phone app before arriving at the airport?”
Trying to sell certain, better seats to get extra revenue (window, aisle, front of the plane, etc) or for antsy people who can’t stand having to check in at the airport. It’s also to encourage certain types of travelers to spring for the more expensive fare while still offering those looking for a budget fare an option. Why would someone pay more without some perceived benefits after all. They aren’t going to fill those seats until the last minute in case someone wants to pay for them. If they don’t get used, they’ll plug passengers into them.
Despite what you think, @ucbalumnus, you have no proof it is the airlines’ attempt at having customers miss their flights. They aren’t in the business of intentionally trying to piss off customers nor creating extra work for themselves when customers miss flights. Because it does create extra work and hassle. That isn’t even good business sense, is it? I can be cynically but that theory is too cynical for me.
Nowadays I’ve noticed that there may be empty seats in the economy plus section even when the rest of the plane is full because the airlines doesn’t want to allow passengers who didn’t pay the extra and/or didn’t have the status to be bumped up to an economy plus seat to get those seats for “free.” Sometimes though, the folks in the economy section may have spare seats and even an entire row to stretch out in. D’s always thrilled when she has an extra seat or a row.
Well, people who don’t want to pay fees for luggage can do what this person did–WEAR all the clothing! Yes, it’s extreme, but it’s just one more option.
Well, @doschicos, she did take off all the clothing and put it back in her bag once she was on the plane, but yuck! I wouldn’t want perspiration on all my garments and to try to get clothing on and off in the tight spot of my seat before even taking off. Somehow, that doesn’t seem “ideal.”
Re requiring in person check-in. See my post #101. I know when United rolled out Basic Economy, those ticket holders were required to check-in in person so it could be determined that the carry-on was a “legal” size for the fare rate or to determine that the flyer was carrying no luggage. Larger carry-ons were (and are) disallowed and the flyer will be charged for a full size carry-on (per policy).
I don’t know if this policy was applied at every airport and I don’t know how widely it is still followed.
American allows full size carry-on (I suppose that is 22 inchers (but may be gate checked depending on circumstance) and thus, American Basic Economy flyers are allowed to use the app to check-in or on-line.
