Are 'Basic' Economy Plane Tickets a Scam?
Sure, we all need to have patience for travel, though it seems like something fishy might be going on with this new fare class.
You may not be aware, but airlines have recently created an all-new class of fare on their planes that brings travel torture to a whole new level. One of the common restrictions in this new flare is that one can only bring a small bag that fits under the seat in front of you (if the space exists). That’s right, not even a bag for the overhead bin. The fare class includes a bunch of other restrictions that vary by airline, but rest assured, if they could have you standing at this class, they would. This has been outlined in the media, and I’ve had the misfortune to fly this way on Westjet. Recently, I noticed an interesting trend of airlines subtly misrepresenting flights to make them more appealing in the beginning, only to share the true cost late in the process.
This might be similar to an online retailer lowering it’s public-facing price by two dollars and adding three dollars to shipping. Or in the case of airlines, showing prices in terms of “one-way,” with the return flight always listed as double the price. But, this, this feels a little different. Let me show you.
I was looking at a flight from Toronto to Vancouver. Air Canada sent me a lovely email showing that they were running a sale on flights. The advertised price was listed as on-way, and as “Economy.”
Clicking through, the flight was set to the correct direction and was presented with an interface showing Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class. But, there was still no mention of the new, ultra-restrictive class. There’s no doubt in my mind that it was in here somewhere. The cheapest prices in the interface only referenced the word “Economy,” nothing else.
Okay, as the interface directed, it was time to select a date and then a seat and the price level. The box labeled “Select seats from,” indicated the lowest price, so that was the one to choose. Then, BOOM!, Air Canada hits you with the new fare class at the low price they’d be advertising as economy, but this time it’s basic economy.
The most important thing to watch out for is ticket price advertising. There are a ton of places where cheap fares are advertised or promoted such as emailing lists or deal websites. Now, one cannot tell at first blush if the price they’re seeing is a basic economy or regular economy until they click though a bunch of times. It almost makes the travel deal websites useless at this point. I’ve been on the 18 hour haul to Singapore, and absolutely can’t imagine what that might be like for a person stuck with a “basic” tickets.
But as Alex Falcone says, is it a scam, yep.
Thanks for reading everyone. Keep your eyes open. I will continue writing it out. I’d love to hear from you for story ideas or anything else. Please share this with anyone you think might be interested. This post is also available online at writingitout.com.