A spokeswoman for Delta, which introduced basic economy fares in 2013, said in a statement<br />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.”<br />Over all, the airlines have argued they are merely giving customers what they want as demonstrated<br />by the robust growth of low-cost, no-frills airlines like Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant.<br />While airlines are loath to discuss pricing, the new basic economy class seats are expected to be in many<br />cases the same price as the standard economy fare, meaning travelers will get less for the same price.<br />Basic economy travelers will not be allowed to choose their seats or carry on a bag, so they would have to<br />pay $25 each way to check their bags, raising the price of the basic economy fare round trip to $186.<br />For United, which began offering basic economy fares this week from the Minneapolis-St. Paul region to its seven<br />hubs, a round-trip flight on May 9 from Minneapolis to Denver under the standard economy fare will cost $176.<br />Over the last week, United Airlines and American Airlines joined Delta Air Lines in starting<br />or announcing plans for a “basic economy” fare option geared toward bargain travelers.<br />In other words, the standard economy ticket, the one expected to rise in price,<br />may end up being a better deal in some cases than the new basic economy ticket.<br />Something else travelers do not always get with the basic economy fare: an actual price discount.
