A spokeswoman for Delta, which introduced basic economy fares in 2013, said in a statement
that basic economy travelers were not permitted to choose their seats and that families may not be able to sit together, but that the fare “has never included a fee for carry-on baggage and that remains true today.”
Over all, the airlines have argued they are merely giving customers what they want as demonstrated
by the robust growth of low-cost, no-frills airlines like Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant.
While airlines are loath to discuss pricing, the new basic economy class seats are expected to be in many
cases the same price as the standard economy fare, meaning travelers will get less for the same price.
Basic economy travelers will not be allowed to choose their seats or carry on a bag, so they would have to
pay $25 each way to check their bags, raising the price of the basic economy fare round trip to $186.
For United, which began offering basic economy fares this week from the Minneapolis-St. Paul region to its seven
hubs, a round-trip flight on May 9 from Minneapolis to Denver under the standard economy fare will cost $176.
Over the last week, United Airlines and American Airlines joined Delta Air Lines in starting
or announcing plans for a “basic economy” fare option geared toward bargain travelers.
In other words, the standard economy ticket, the one expected to rise in price,
may end up being a better deal in some cases than the new basic economy ticket.
Something else travelers do not always get with the basic economy fare: an actual price discount.
