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Business Travel
American's bare-bones basic economy fares are about to start appearing on long-haul routes.
Grant Martin, Skift | 6 years ago
Airlines
Delta has a message for passengers who don't like Basic Economy fares: Trade up and buy a better product.
Brian Sumers, Skift | 7 years ago
Ground Transport
Amtrak's new videos speak the truth about the easy comfort of train travel, while flying basic economy is rife with pain points. But how many flyers will become rail-converts for the comfort?
Sarah Enelow, Skift | 7 years ago
As one carrier, United, backs off on basic economy, another, American Airlines, doubles down. Will this clear the field for American? Perhaps.
Grant Martin, Skift | 7 years ago
There's a reason they call it an act of God. Every airline in the world is going to lose money when a massive hurricane hits one of its largest hubs. United will be fine. It'll just take some time.
It will be interesting to see whether American and United can continue discounting to the degree they've been doing now that Hurricane Harvey has added vigor to already-rising fuel prices. With the likes of little Norwegian Air bringing its low fares across the Atlantic, this promises to likewise raise blood pressure levels in legacy airline boardrooms.
Dennis Schaal, Skift | 7 years ago
What have we learned from this investor conference? Americans are cheap. Some travelers probably do win when buying these fares, but United says as many as 40 percent of customers are choosing them. Surely, some don't know what they're buying.
Like them or not, basic economy fares are here to stay. And United is expanding them throughout its domestic markets.
Delta says it's using basic economy fares to help better differentiate its products. The jury is still out on whether it will help them compete on routes where they face low-cost competitors.
Andrew Sheivachman, Skift | 7 years ago
Did you think Basic Economy fares would be good for consumers? Ha. Airlines are in the business to make money, and this is one more tool to maximize their ability to increase revenues. For shareholders, that's good news.
