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United Airlines won't drop ban on carry-on bags for economy fliers

By Nicholas Sakelaris
United Airlines said in an earnings call Wednesday it has no plans to lift a ban on carry-on luggage in overhead bins for "economy" travelers. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI
1 of 2 | United Airlines said in an earnings call Wednesday it has no plans to lift a ban on carry-on luggage in overhead bins for "economy" travelers. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 18 (UPI) -- United Airlines said it has no plans to lift its ban on carry-on bags for travelers who buy the cheapest tickets, despite complaints from customers and some change on the matter in the industry.

United travelers who buy basic economy tickets can bring a purse, laptop bag or other item that fits under the seat. All other bags must be checked for a fee. The basic economy tickets were the major airlines' answer to low-cost carriers like Spirit and Frontier.

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United and American both banned bags in the overhead bins when they started economy fares last year. Last month, American loosened its policy, and some were hoping United might follow.

"The way we designed basic was carefully constructed to allow us to segment our products, to allow us to compete effectively against ultra-low-cost competitors and allow our operation to deliver better results for everybody in terms of on-time departures," United Executive Vice President Andrew Nocella said on an earnings call Wednesday. "It's working as designed, and it's working full speed ahead with where we're at."

United reported pre-tax earnings of $1.1 billion for the third quarter. It said the greatest revenue driver was travelers who bought extra-legroom seats near the front of the plane.

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Economy fares come with several restrictions. Fliers must check in at the airport, and cannot do so online, to ensure they don't bring bags to the gate. Passengers who take a bag to the gate must pay a fee to check it, plus a $25 surcharge. Also, basic economy travelers cannot pre-select their seats.

United said its policy speeds up the boarding process and ensures flights leave on time.

American reversed its policy because it was losing business to other airlines. Online resources like Google Flights allow travelers to use amenity filters to find flights that don't charge for carry-on luggage.

Delta Air Lines also offers an economy fare, but allows one carry-on bag in the overhead bin.

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