Tagged: basic-economy

American Airlines Blocks Basic Economy Passengers from Earning Miles

Bad news for budget travelers.The U.S. legacy carriers like to claim they moved to à la carte pricing and stripped-down cabin categories to give travelers more options for customizing…

Virgin Voyages' New Airline-Style Tiered Pricing: Here's What Each Class Means

Virgin Voyages is bringing airline-style tiered pricing to its cruises. Starting Tuesday, October 7, the line will divide fares into three classes: Base, Essential, and Premium. The…

The Big Three Airlines Are Misleading Travelers So They Can Rig the System

We have two airline industries in America. There are larger carriers, led by the Big Three oligopoly of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. And then we have…

Delta Air Lines Will End Basic Economy and Revise Fare Categories

Delta Air Lines is tired of using the word economy. The airline industry simply can't seem to settle on the name for its most common airfare seat class. Just like most carriers ditched…

JetBlue Basic Economy to Allow Carry-Ons—Which Airlines Still Charge for Overhead Bins?

JetBlue passengers with the airline's cheapest class of tickets, known as Blue Basic fares, will be allowed to bring a carry-on bag onto the plane at no additional charge, the carrier…

American Airlines Flight Attendants Were Reportedly Reminded to Stop Lessening Your Misery

You know how flying with a commercial airline is terrible? The seats are cramped, the fees are outrageous, and the other passengers are always brawling or screaming about how their…

Economy Classic vs. Economy Delight: What Virgin Atlantic's Cryptic Seat Categories Mean

It's so frustrating that every airline has its own nicknames for Basic Economy tickets (explained here), but when those seats appear in search results, they don't clearly explain what…

Is a Basic Economy Ticket More Trouble Than It’s Worth?

It’s a choice budget-conscious passengers always face when booking a flight: Do you select the absolute cheapest fare, or pay more for added comfort and convenience? The decision has…

Delta Air Lines Battles Call Wait Times by Easing Basic Economy Rules

If you've had to call an airline's customer service number in 2021, then you already know: Wait times are extreme. In fact, you might still be on hold right now. For a lot of messy…

Newly Launched Breeze Airways Connects Smaller U.S. Cities for Low Fares

A new low-cost airline dedicated to serving small and "underserved" U.S. cities is set to take off this week. Breeze Airways, the fifth airline startup backed by JetBlue founder David…

Airlines Bring Back Fees, But Not for Every Passenger

Strange as it may feel to find anything about 2020 that could possibly qualify as the Good Old Days, the global crisis did yield a few positives. When demand for commercial flights…

JetBlue Forbids Free Carry-Ons for Basic Fares, Drops Change Fees Elsewhere

JetBlue is adding an irksome catch to its cheapest category of plane tickets. Any customer who books a basic economy fare—dubbed "Blue Basic" by JetBlue—for travel after July 20 will…

Ding Dong! Airline Change Fees Are Dead! Delta and American Copy United

Yesterday, in a huge win for travelers, United Airlines dropped change fees for many types of flights. We gave you the full rundown of the move in this earlier post. Now, as they…

Amtrak Launches New Ultralow Fares. Is There a Catch?

Amtrak is trying out its own version of a Basic Economy fare. In air travel, that kind of ticket goes for relatively low prices but comes with a number of restrictions. To name a few…

"Basic Business Class"? Emirates Quietly Shakes Up Airfare Structures

Last summer, with no fanfare whatsoever, Emirates changed the rules of business travel. It took what was a signature product—its well-rated business class service—and decoupled it from…

How Families Can Sit Together on Airplanes

Families who need to sit together on a flight often encounter the turbulence of extra fees, unfriendly boarding procedures, and random seat assignments. Airlines have made things so…

Basic Economy Fares: What You Get and What You Lose, Airline by Airline

Despite what airlines say, "basic economy" fares do not mean lower fares for everyone. In fact, they have increased prices for most of us because they now label the lowest prices as…

American Airlines to Allow Carry-On for Basic Economy

American Airlines passengers who buy basic economy tickets will each be allowed to bring a carry-on bag aboard flights, starting September 5.The news was announced by American…

American Airlines Adding Basic Economy Fares to Transatlantic Flights

Starting in April, American Airlines is selling bare-bones "basic economy" tickets on some flights to Europe. The move seems an obvious effort to compete with low-cost transatlantic…

Now You Can Fly Round-Trip to Europe for €399—with a Catch

First, U.S. domestic airlines introduced Basic Economy fares so their rates would appear more competitive with low-cost carriers in Web searches.Now the transatlantic airlines are…

One More Airline Adopts Basic Economy Pricing

Monkey see, monkey do. The biggest airlines have now instituted new, bare-bones "basic economy" fares that strip passengers of the automatic right to checked bags or seat assignments…

Everything You Need to Know About 'Basic Economy' Fares

All three of the biggest U.S. airlines—Delta, United, and American—have rolled out what they’re calling “basic economy” fares. The word “basic” here is meant to connote no-frills,…

Amazing Northern Lights Video, a Senator Takes on New Airline Fees, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's museums and airplane cabins.* NY SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER TAKES ON OVERHEAD-BIN FEES (UPI)Following an example set earlier by…

Repositioning Cruises: Long Days, Low Prices

Repositioning cruises are deeply discounted one-off itineraries that pop up when ships travel between two regions of the world, ending one season (in Europe or Alaska, for example) to…

How to Stay Safe During Spring Break Escapes

For weeks now, there's been nothing but bad news for people planning spring break getaways.First, the clamor of warnings against going to Mexico rose when the Texas Department of…