Hey, I'm Scott, founder of Scott's Cheap Flights.
You know, I'm obsessed with cheap flights,
and over the years, I've learned a thing or two
about how to find them and how to book them.
In this video, I want to talk with you about basic economy.
What it is and what you need to know
about this new stripped down fare class.
Basic economy began as a pushback by the major airlines,
think Delta, American, United,
against those sort of really low, eye-catching airfares
offered by these low cost carriers like Spirit Airlines,
Allegiant, Norwegian, Frontier, and the now defunct WOW Air.
Basic economy is a restrictive class of fares
that offer maximum savings in exchange
for a no-frills travel experience.
You'll sit in the same economy section of the plane
as travelers who have purchased regular economy seats,
but in basic economy you miss out on a few benefits,
or you have to pay extra for them.
Basic economy can actually be found
in one form or another on almost every major US carrier
and it shows no signs of going away.
It's on flights not only within the US
and all of North America, but now on flights
from the US to Europe, to Central America,
and even to the Caribbean.
For now, flights from the US to South America,
to Asia, and to Africa do not have basic economy flights,
though that's always possible sometime in the future.
So while it's always important to read
the fine print before you book a ticket,
it's even more important with the basic economy fare
so you can know exactly what is included in your fare price.
In addition, basic economy's not the same on every airline.
In other words, they don't all refer
to this fare class by the same name,
so make sure you check your airline's website
to figure out what's what.
Some of the others names basic economy goes by include
economy light, saver fare, economy basic,
grab and go, and my personal favorite, bare fare.
First, it's helpful to go over
what's in most regular economy fares.
They usually include things like early seat selection,
flight changes or cancellations for a fee,
seat upgrades, again, for a fee,
or maybe complimentary if you have status,
and a free checked bag on some international routes.
But basic economy fares typically don't follow these rules,
and these things either aren't allowed at all,
or you have to pay an additional fee.
Most basic economy tickets include a carry-on bag,
but on some routes on United Airlines,
typically within North America or to Latin America
or the Caribbean, they only include
a personal size carry-on, not a full size,
so make sure you look at the fine print.
Advanced seat assignments are generally
not included in basic economy,
though there are some exceptions like Alaska Airlines,
and many airlines allow basic economy passengers
to select their seat once it's at check-in,
24 hours before travel.
Ticket changes and refunds typically
are not allowed on basic economy,
nor are upgrades to a better cabin,
even if you want to pay for it.
Basic economy is a great option
if you're looking for the lowest priced flight
and you don't need extras like advanced seat selection,
or you're not worried about things
like upgrades or mileage accrual.
But, if you plan to pay extra to check a bag,
make sure you compare the cost of adding the bag
to the cost of upgrading to main economy.
Sometimes the difference is minimal,
but sometimes it's actually cheaper to upgrade
to main economy than it is to pay for your bags à la carte.
For example, let's say you're flying from New York City
to Barcelona and you want to check a bag.
If you've booked a basic economy ticket,
a checked bag's gonna run you $120 roundtrip,
but for that same $120, you could've booked
a main economy ticket, which includes not only a checked bag,
but also advanced seat selection and other perks.
So just be sure to make these comparisons
and select any upgrades before you purchase,
because remember, basic economy fares are not eligible
for upgrades once they've been ticketed.
For Scott's Cheap Flights deals,
where basic economy is the lowest price,
remember that regular economy is always still available,
as long as you're willing to pay a little bit more for it.
So to wrap up, if you travel light
and you don't mind waiting for your seat assignment,
basic economy can be a great way to save money on flights.
But if you need the extras, it's worth it to compare
the price of a checked bag to the price of upgrading.
It might cost the same to just book main economy.
For more tips, check out our other videos,
subscribe to our YouTube channel,
and follow the links under this video,
and if you want to save big on airfare,
join us at Scott's Cheap Flights.
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It is our dream to be able to make this happen,
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Thanks for watching, see you guys later!