United Airlines won’t be back Economy class ticket change fee, TPG confirmed. The airline’s assurance came despite some aviation observers finding economy class booking options “unchangeable” on some United flights.
As a reminder, United and other former U.S. carriers have eliminated the pandemic economy change fee and then made the policy permanent (but not for the underlying economy). However, reports this week have sparked speculation that United may be renewing that policy.
However, no such changes have been made, the Chicago-based carrier told TPG.
“United was the first US airline to permanently eliminate change fees – and we remain steadfast in that commitment to our customers,” a United spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. .
The confusion seems to stem from the booking options the airline offers on flights to Tokyo.
As United experimented with new cheaper ticket options to Japan, an unspecified “oddness” in the market prevented the airline from offering basic economy fares and fare rules attached to these routes, an airline official explained.
As a dummy alternative to basic economy class on Japan flights, United will not prevent passengers from carrying large hand luggage or choosing a seat when traveling in this fare class.
It will, however, keep a different mark of the underlying economy as part of the “unchanged economy” fare: In exchange for a lower price, no changes to the ticket will be allowed. with this fare.
Again, this unusual set of ticket options seems to be exclusive to Japan. “United has no plans to expand this type of fare outside of Japan” and “has no intention of bringing the change fee back to a standard economy fare,” the airline said.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
In fact, when checking some of United’s routes between the US and Tokyo on Friday, TPG didn’t find any “unchangeable economy” fares, so it looks like the airline has one may – at least for now – remove those options from its booking channels.
This comes as other US airlines have expanded basic economic services – with modifications – to long-haul, overseas flights in recent years and at a time when demand demand to travel to Japan is increasing after that country has reopened for independent travelers in recent weeks after more than two years of severe COVID-19 entry restrictions.
Additional reporting by Zach Griff.
