United Adds Base Fares to Domestic First Class, Short-Haul International Business

United is expanding the unbundling of its fares to more cabins.

A third tier of Base fares, which come with fewer perks than Standard and Flex fares, will soon be available when booking United’s domestic first class and short-haul business class.

Here’s what this could mean for your next up-front flight with United.

Unbundled Fares Are Coming to More of United’s Premium Cabins

In a nutshell, unbundling is when airlines sell different-priced tickets for seats in the same cabin. It’s a tried-and-tested selling model used mainly by low-cost carriers: The more you’re willing to pay, the more you get included in your ticket.

United is one of many full-service, legacy carriers that have introduced unbundling. The Chicago-headquartered carrier already introduced Base fares for some premium cabins earlier in the year.

The airline’s domestic first class and short-haul international business class will be next to gain a Base fare option.

The following restrictions that will apply to first class base fares are worth noting before booking:

• No free seat selection
• Only 1 checked bag (Standard fares get 2 bags)
• Flight changes are not permitted
• Nonrefundable (the same as Standard fares)

The restrictions are pretty much identical for United’s short-haul international business class:

• No free seat selection
• Only 1 checked bag (Standard fares get 2 bags)
• Flight changes are not permitted
• Nonrefundable (the same as Standard fares)

The good news is, lounge access is still included with Base fares. That’s kind of United, as it’s common for airlines to remove that perk for their lowest fare tier when unbundling premium fares. This means if you’re flying United business class from, let’s say, Newark (EWR), New Jersey, to Toronto (YYZ), you still have United Club lounge access.

We’re waiting to hear back from United to find out when Base fares on these routes are likely to go live and whether the restrictions apply to base fares, even for United’s MileagePlus elites. Hopefully, United will follow in the footsteps of Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue, which waives the restrictions of its lowest fares for some elite status holders.

Final Thoughts

A United representative confirmed to Upgraded Points that the new Base fares will roll out in the coming weeks, and that restrictions, excluding the checked bag reduction, even apply to United’s MileagePlus elites.

Love them or loathe them, unbundled fares are here to stay.