If you’ve booked a fare in economy class on United Airlines in recent years, you’re almost certainly aware that ticket prices there are divided into three categories: basic, standard and flexible fares. Evidently, that decision has worked out well for the airline, because this week they announced plans to apply the same structure to their premium flights as well. What does that mean in practical terms for flyers? It’s a decision that affects everything from airport club access to signage on the airline’s fleet.
For starters, United’s new premium fares will apply to “long-haul international, transcontinental U.S. and select Hawaii flights.” This change will also see some flights in the latter two categories having the premium cabin rebranded with United’s Polaris signage. That will also mean that travelers booking domestic Polaris flights with standard or flexible fares will also have access to Polaris lounges. Travelers opting for a basic fare in the Polaris cabin will not; instead, they will be able to access the standard United Club at the airport.
The new classes will offer about what you’d expect: a basic Polaris fare, for instance, will not allow a traveler to choose their seat and will allow them one checked bag, as compared to both the standard and flexible options. Those allow travelers to select their seat and check two bags while flying.
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Some new seasonal routes are coming soonIn a statement, United’s Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, described this as a way to offer frequent travelers more choices. “These new tiered options give customers more choice and make it easier to find a fare that includes the benefits they want most — whether that’s a great value, added perks, or maximum flexibility,” he said.
This is not the only big change that United Airlines has made this week; as Ben Schlappig reports at One Mile at a Time, United changed the way its Mileage Plus system accumulates miles to benefit branded credit card holders. Will the coming weeks see even more changes to United’s systems? Stay tuned.
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