Airlines Adding Classes Lower Than Economy

The experience of sitting in economy can range from inoffensive to downright horrible, depending on your personal preferences and the people you’re shoehorned next to. And it’s the only financially viable option for most travelers — though sometimes barely so.

Now comes word airlines are considering adding a class below economy, that humble row of seats on the bottom of the totem pole, below whatever else airlines have classified as premium, business class, first class and more.

Delta Air Lines introduced basic economy, and United Airlines and American Airlines followed suit. This class is the cheapest available on these airlines and includes sacrificing the ability to reserve a seat at booking (hello, middle seat, back row), and no longer gives you the option of sitting next to the person you’re traveling with.

You also won’t be offered any opportunities to upgrade your seat or change or cancel reservations more than 24 hours after booking.

This is the major carriers’ way of competing with budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier, and some passengers on a strict budget may have no choice but to book these seats. It seems like the economics alone might mean these classes are here to stay.