United Continental will become the first major U.S. air carrier to limit its lowest-fare customers to one carry-on bag that fits under the seat in front of them — not the overhead bin, which will be reserved for those who paid more.
Quote:
Starting in January, America's third largest airline will roll out a new fare class, known as "basic economy."
"This new offering provides customers the option of paying the lowest fares to their destinations, while still receiving the same standard economy experience, including food, beverage, Wi-Fi and personal device entertainment, with a few key differences," the airline said.
Among them:
No pre-assigned seating. Your seat number will be issued to you only on the day of travel
You will board last, after all other passengers, in a new boarding group — group 5.
You'll be allowed only one personal carry-on item that must fit under the seat in front.
Quote:
The move goes one step further than actions by Delta and American, which this year already moved to eliminate reserved seating, the ability to change travel plans on the same day without a fee, and the ability to accrue frequent flyer miles on its cheapest fares.
Having just taken a full United flight between SNA and SFO where the overhead bins were completely full before even half the passengers had boarded, I'm perfectly fine with this.
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I would prefer that airlines just actually enforce their carry on rules.
Nothing more annoying then the guy with the 40 pound "backpack" that is stuffed for his month long backpacking adventure trying to shove his bag into the overhead.
Actually enforce the size and weight restrictions and be done with it.
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United Airlines - the embodiment of everything I hate about flying through America.
I had the misfortune of having to fly United quite a lot over the last decade, and it's by far the worst airline I've flown anywhere. They find new and unique ways to make sure you have the worst experience possible. Countless bags lost, terrible service, and awful airplanes (It's the only airplane I've flown where I've seen ripped seats and duct-tape on seat dividers being used).
It's also the only airline I know that doesn't allow people with kids to board early, which pretty much creates a logjam for everyone.
While in general I support the idea of trying to reduce luggage in the cabin, I'm sure United will find a way to make it as miserable for everyone as possible.
Also never a bad time to post this:
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Their boarding plan sounds poorly thought out. No assigned seat, which means these passengers will end up in the middle seat 90% of the time. So once everyone boards and get settled, the aisle people will have to get up and let them in.
All airlines should charge per bag, whether checked or not. Passengers are allowed a small personal item, like a laptop bag, purse, or whatever that can fit under the seat if necessary, but you can still put it overhead. This would speed up boarding immensely.
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Its for even weight distribution and fuel savings for the plane. If all the fatties sit on one side then that engine has to work harder and its inefficient.
I've flown United a few times and I've never had an issue. I'm about to fly them home from Hong Kong to SFO in January. I just bring a backpack as my luggage, but I'm assuming that A: this doesn't affect me because I booked already and this didn't even exist and B: it's not a domestic flight.
I've flown United a few times and I've never had an issue. I'm about to fly them home from Hong Kong to SFO in January. I just bring a backpack as my luggage, but I'm assuming that A: this doesn't affect me because I booked already and this didn't even exist and B: it's not a domestic flight.
... is this just domestic flights?
Not sure if just domestic, but it sounds like its a super saver type fare, so you would have to specifically book it. Unless they pull an Air Canada and "rouge" you without notice.
How about this: there is no such thing as a "rolling carry-on bag". If you can't carry your carry-on bag, it's not a carry-on bag.
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I would prefer that airlines just actually enforce their carry on rules.
Nothing more annoying then the guy with the 40 pound "backpack" that is stuffed for his month long backpacking adventure trying to shove his bag into the overhead.
Actually enforce the size and weight restrictions and be done with it.
This is exactly what they should be doing. Scan your ticket and place your bag in the sizing device before getting on. If the bag doesn't fit, it can be checked at the regular rate with a penalty attached or it can be left behind.
Airlines have tight margins. I can see how this is necessary to make their basest flights look cheaper to get more customers. I also agree with a model where those who use more pay more.
3 years ago I had such a bad experience with United that I contacted an attorney in California to see if I could sue. In the end I didn't do anything. A direct flight from SFO to YYC ended up being a 2 day adventure through LAS then DEN then YYC with our bags not given back until YYC. So no access to any of our stuff. They wouldn't pay for meals or our hotel either.
United Airlines rolls out plan to charge lowest-fare flyers to use overhead bins
