A few weeks back, The American Airlines said that it would soon begin offering a new “Basic Economy” fare which offers discounts in exchange for travelers giving up their ability to choose a seat or use the overhead bins. Now the airline has begun selling these lower-cost tickets on the certain routes, at the savings of around $20 per leg of a flight.
The NBC News reports that American began selling the new fares on Tuesday for flights taking place after March 1st on 10 routes from hub airports.
The following routes are part of the first Basic Economy rollout:
Charlotte to Orlando
Dallas Fort Worth to Baltimore
Dallas Fort Worth to Tampa
Miami to Tampa
Miami to New Orleans
Philadelphia to Dallas/Fort Worth
Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale
Philadelphia to Miami
Philadelphia to New Orleans
Philadelphia to Charlotte
While American Airlines previously did not say how much the new fare would cost the customers, it did note they were less expensive than the traditional main cabin fares.
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A look at a few of the routes of which there are generally one or two each day shows the savings of about $20 per one-way trip. A flight from the Charlotte to Orlando on March 6th will cost about $131 with the Basic Economy, while Main Cabin fare costs $151.
A trip from Dallas Fort Worth to the Baltimore also came with a $20 savings between Main Cabin ($110) and the Basic Economy fares ($90). Likewise, a trip from Miami to Tampa runs $79 for the Basic Economy and $99 for Main Cabin.
Fare for the Basic Economy from Philadelphia to Dallas Fort Worth costs $148, while Main Cabin runs $168. While booking the roundtrip could result in a savings of about $40 overall, a customer would spend more if they accidentally show up to the airport with a bag which can only fit in the overhead bin.
Per the Basic Economy fare, passengers can only bring one personal carry-on item which fits under your seat is allowed. If you do bring something like a rollerboard bag or larger carry-on, then it must be checked at the ticket counter for the applicable checked-baggage charge.
That means you will incur regular checked baggage charges plus a $25 gate service charge per bag if you bring more than the one under-the-seat item. These charges could quickly outweigh the savings of booking the Basic Fare.
Mrudula Duddempudi.
