United Airlines is eliminating one of the frustrating restrictions associated with its basic economy offering, as flagged by Zach Griff.
United basic economy comes with several restrictions. One of those is that you can’t check-in online on most itineraries. That’s because basic economy in most markets doesn’t include a carry-on bag, and passengers have to go to the check-in counter to show that they only have a personal item
Fortunately this policy will be changing shortly. As of August 6, 2024, United will start allowing basic economy passengers to check-in online, either via the website or mobile app, as well as at kiosks. Therefore United passengers will no longer have to wait to have an agent manually verify that they don’t have a carry-on.
There is one catch, though. With this policy change, United basic economy passengers will have to put a credit card on file when they check-in, and they’ll be charged $65 in the event that they show up at the gate with a full size carry-on. That fee is for the standard $40 first checked bag fee if you pay at the airport, plus an additional $25 gate handling fee.
United has reportedly been testing this development at its Chicago (ORD) hub for quite some time, and found that the company’s net promoter score increased when basic economy customers could check-in online. The airline also reportedly didn’t see an increase in the number of people showing up at the gate with a carry-on.
Suffice it to say that this is a positive change — it simplifies the travel process for basic economy passengers, and will also reduce the workload of United agents with checking people in.
