United Airlines announces the elimination of change fees for most Economy flights in the U.S.

Photo from United.com

Eric L Martin | Chubby Diaries

In an unprecedented move, United Airlines is changing the game for the airline industry in the United States.On Sunday, United Airlines announced effective immediately, it’s permanently getting rid of change fees on most Economy (except Basic Economy) and all premium-cabin tickets for flights within the U.S.,Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“You may remember that, as we emerged from previous tough times, we made difficult decisions to survive financially, but sometimes at the expense of customer service, either by adding new fees or cutting the things that make the experience of flying better, simply because they were too expensive,” said United’s CEO Scott Kirby in a video message released today.

“United Airlines won’t be following that same playbook as we come out of this crisis. Instead, we’re taking a completely different approach, and looking at ways to serve you better instead of defaulting to cuts.”

Becoming the first major U.S. airline to make this move, Kirby said” “Simply put, given the evolving face of travel, now and going forward, it’s the right thing to do.”

United also announced that it’s extending its fee waiver policy for all new tickets purchased through December 31, 2020. American Air Lines has also announced extending the fee waiving policy til the end of the year as well. The extended waiver policy applies to all ticket types for both domestic and international travel issued after March 3, 2020.

In another unprecedented move beginning in January 2021, United will allow customers, holding tickets of any fare to fly standby on an earlier flight that day at no additional cost if a seat is available.

Eric L. Martin Chubby Diaries Travel Analyst. He writes on the latest Travel News and much more.