When did American Airlines become an Ultra-Low-Cost Airline?
I’m not being cynical. When did American Airlines start selling tickets in bundles resembling those sold by Frontier and Spirit instead of being more like Delta or United?
I have a stash of American Airlines AAdvantage miles, so I usually book award tickets for our flights. When booking award flights, I only have two choices: Main Cabin or First Class. On a domestic flight, I’m not going to pay for First Class, so we’ll book Main Cabin.
For this flight, a one-way ticket costs 11,500 AAdvantage miles plus $5.60 in taxes. For that price, I’m able to sit for free in any seat in the back of the plane. 
With my award ticket, I can also pay for a Main Cabin Extra or a Preferred seat.
But the same can not be said if I was paying for a seat on the same flight. The cheapest option would be a Basic Economy ticket. The $115 price matches the 11,500 miles for an award seat, but you’ll get much less.
The regular ticket on the same flight costs $79 more and allows you to select a Main Cabin seat. If you’re not willing to purchase the most restrictive ticket, this would be the most reasonable option.
For an extra $47, you can get a free checked bag, an extra legroom seat, and get to board with Group 5 by paying up for a Main Plus ticket.
For an additional $24, you can upgrade (or downgrade) to Main Select. You’ll get Group 4 boarding and same-day changes. However, you’ll lose your checked bag. But if you’re a business traveler and only have carry-on bags, losing a checked bag in favor of same-day changes might be a good trade-off.
Final Thought
Come on, American Airlines. You offer a $115 Basic Economy fare, but the regular fare starts at $194. And the fare the business travelers want will cost $265. At this point, you’re no better than a ULCC. If that’s where you are, then that’s fine. Then start charging for carry-on bags and lower your checked baggage weight allowance.
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