United Airlines significantly improves basic economy fares with a key change

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Of all the major U.S. airlines, United Airlines' basic economy fare is perhaps the most punitive.

Travelers purchasing the cheapest basic economy fares with United aren't able to bring a full-size carry-on bag. Because of this, United has historically barred basic economy flyers from checking in online to ensure that an airport check-in agent can confirm that these passengers aren't trying to sneak on bags.

For many people, that's reason enough to upgrade to a standard economy fare.

But for those who still decide to accept United's onerous restrictions, the Chicago-based carrier has some welcome news.

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Beginning on Aug. 6, basic economy passengers will be able to check in for their flights online or on the mobile app before arriving at the airport. This also applies to kiosk check-in, so flyers will no longer need to wait for an agent to manually verify that they aren't bringing a carry-on bag with them.

The one catch is that during the check-in process, basic economy flyers must put a credit card on file and agree to a $65 charge if they bring a full-size carry-on to the gate.

This $65 fee is not new for basic economy customers who gate-check bags. Currently, there is a $25 gate handling fee in addition to the bag fee, which is typically $40 but sometimes higher if a customer is traveling with multiple checked bags.

As part of this change, United will always charge a basic economy customer $65 if they bring a carry-on bag, no matter how many bags they travel with.

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United said in an internal memo viewed by TPG that this feature was tested at its Chicago hub for several months, and "the results were great," the memo reads. The Chicago hub's "net promoter score increased as customers could complete check-in, and gate checked bags and bulkouts decreased as fewer customers brought bags to the gate," reads the memo, which was confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

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While this is undoubtedly great news for United's most budget-conscious travelers, it still doesn't solve a major gripe with these fares: that they don't include a carry-on bag. (The only exclusions are Premier elite members and their traveling companions, as well as Star Alliance Gold travelers or those who hold a qualifying MileagePlus cobranded credit card.)

American and Delta allow basic economy flyers to bring a carry-on bag with every fare, making their cheapest offerings more attractive than United's. That said, in recent years, United has added a few new benefits to make basic economy more appealing, including ticket flexibility and the ability to upgrade these fares.

And for everything you need to know about basic economy, you'll want to check out TPG's comparison to basic economy fares across U.S. airlines.

Related reading:

• 6 things you need to know about United Airlines MileagePlus
• The best credit cards for United Airlines flyers
• What is United Airlines elite status worth?
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• How to survive basic economy on United Airlines