United To Limit Access To Basic Economy Fares

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Airlines are constantly changing something about how they run their business. Sometimes those changes are obvious to travelers, such as when there’s a fee increase or smaller seats. But sometimes there are changes behind the scenes. You might not immediately notice these changes as a traveler, but they can significantly impact your travel experience.

For example, what if an airline limits access to its least expensive fares? That’s exactly what United is going to do, and I’m sure most people impacted by this change will not even know about it.

Forgive my limited knowledge of how airlines sell tickets through global networks. If I make any glaring misstatements, it’s not intentional.

United Airlines will remove basic economy fares from non-NDC GDS channels in September. In short, places that use certain systems to search for flights will no longer be able to see or book United Basic Economy tickets.

What is GDS?

GDS is the Global Distribution System. It’s the industry standard through which airlines connect with high-volume sellers of tickets. It’s how United and other airlines tell OTA’s, travel agency networks, travel management companies (for corporate travel) and consolidators what flights are available and for what prices for each type of seat.

The Global Distribution System (GDS) was created in the 1960s and is still used as the primary means of communication within the industry. However, the system has some drawbacks. It works well for established airlines, but for new airlines, it can be time-consuming and expensive to integrate into the system. That’s why many start-up airlines choose to only offer tickets through their own booking channels.

The GDS system also has limitations that are troublesome to larger airlines. The system was developed before the creation of ancillary fees and it’s unable to collect extra charges at the time of booking a ticket.

This is why United says they’re removing Basic Economy tickets in the US and Latin America from the legacy GDS booking system.

Will Basic Economy on United only be available through the airline?

While you will no longer find basic economy tickets on United for sale through some channels, they’re not limiting access to their website and app.

If a service uses the NDC (New Distribution Capability) system, it can offer United’s Basic Economy tickets for sale. This is because the NDC system can collect ancillary fees for seat assignments and checked bags, which United considers a part of purchasing a basic economy ticket.

Why hasn’t everyone moved to NDC?

It’s not a simple proposition to move from an established industry standard. Everyone involved needs to update their systems. Airlines, reservation systems, travel agents, and booking services all need to come together and that’s a complicated process. Reservation systems like SABRE and Amadeus are offering more NDC services to travel sellers while more airlines are being added to the system.

There’s also a financial part of the equation. The GDS system benefits the large airlines the most, feeding passengers onto their planes. Why would they want to move to a new system when there’s no incentive to do so?

Final Thought

If you want to book a flight on United in Basic Economy after September 5, 2023, your booking options will be limited. Make sure to compare prices directly from United to those you’ll find on non-company websites.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary