Travelers flying Basic Economy can now cancel their tickets without losing all of their credit.
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Basic Economy, Saver Fare, Blue Basic – traditionally, it didn’t matter which airline offered the cheapest fare class for its aircraft. The common denominator for most of these tickets is that they tend to be the most restrictive. In addition to the lack of many included services such as seat selection or hand luggage, 24-hour additional booking (a customer service standard). set by the Ministry of Transport), ticket changes are often not allowed.
However, United Airlines changed its cancellation policy for Basic Economy fares this month. The airline is now allowing its customers to cancel their Basic Economy tickets for a fee – instead of just losing all their credit.
“As part of an ongoing effort to provide more flexibility, United is making it easier for customers to change their Basic Economy tickets,” Christine Salamone, a spokeswoman for United, told AFAR, adding that “customers can either upgrade to Pay for a standard economy ticket, which allows them to rebook their flight and enjoy all the benefits of a standard economy ticket, including Premier benefits, free seat assignments, a free carry-on bag and more; or if a customer does not want to rebook, they can cancel their trip and receive a remaining credit towards their basic economy ticket.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, United, along with most other major US airlines, allowed customers to make changes to their Basic Economy tickets without a fee. But on May 1, 2021, United‘s Basic economy tickets reverted to pre-pandemic fare rules and were non-changeable and non-refundable.
However, back in February 2021, United introduced a Standard Economy buy-up option that allows Basic Economy customers to upgrade to a Standard Economy ticket. This in turn allows them to rebook their flight and get all the benefits of a standard economy ticket, including free seat assignments, a free carry-on bag and more. There are no change fees for Standard Economy tickets (or other changeable tickets such as Premium Economy and Business Class seats).
From April 13 there is even more flexibility: If you want to cancel your Basic Economy booking completely, you will receive a flight credit in the amount of the original purchase price minus a cancellation fee. On domestic flights, this fee is USD 49.50 for a one-way ticket and USD 99 for a round-trip ticket. On international flights, one-way cancellations cost $99.50, while it costs $199 to cancel a return flight.
Delta Airlines and JetBlue Both have similar policies, allowing their passengers in Basic Economy or Basic Blue (as JetBlue calls the lowest fare tier) to cancel with a fee ranging from $99 to $200 depending on the itinerary. However, these airlines do not offer the option to purchase up to standard economy.
Southwest is one of the few airlines with a longstanding policy that allows customers to change tickets regardless of fare class without a change fee.
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