United Airlines will begin offering an unbundled basic fare in its business and premium economy cabins.
Under the new merchandising approach, the airline will sell three fare products -- Base, Standard and Flexible -- in the Polaris business class and Premium Plus cabins, mimicking the fare options United already offers for economy seats.
The changes will apply to long-haul international flights, transcontinental service and flights serving Hawaii from Newark, Chicago and Washington Dulles. They'll be implemented in select markets this month and expanded over the course of the year.
At present, United sells two products in business and premium economy, Standard and Flexible. The products are the same, except Flexible is fully refundable while Standard is not.
Under the new fare structure, Standard and Flexible will maintain existing benefits, including two free checked bags and the ability to upgrade from Premium Plus for a fee. Upgrades for a fee from standard Polaris seats to new Polaris Studio seats will also be available.
Both Standard and Flexible business-class flyers will have access to Polaris lounges.
Base fare travelers will have to pay extra for seat selection. They'll get only one free bag. They won't be allowed to make flight changes or get upgrades. And their tickets will be neither refundable nor eligible for a flight credit.
For business-class flyers, the Base fare will provide entrance to United Club lounges, but not the more exclusive Polaris lounges.
United declined to reveal the price break flyers should expect from the new Base fare products and also declined to reveal the cities in which it will first sell the new fares.
"These new tiered options give customers more choice and make it easier to find a fare that includes the benefits they want most -- whether that's a great value, added perks, or maximum flexibility," chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said in a prepared remark.
Delta has plans to begin offering a basic fare in premium cabins this year. Last year, Delta began selling Comfort Basic, an unbundled fare for extra-legroom main cabin seats. At the airline's earnings call in January, recently retired president Glen Hauenstein said that this year the airline plans to begin selling three fare options across all its cabins.
Delta had no comment on when its premium-cabin merchandising would begin.