United Airlines To Require Minimum Stays Starting In October

United Airlines said Friday it will start requiring minimum stays for nearly all domestic flights beginning in October. It is also raising its cheapest fares by as much as $90 one-way.

The second-largest U.S. carrier said the moves are among a number of changes it is making to combat record high fuel prices. The Chicago-based airline has been among the most aggressive in the industry in pushing fares and fuel surcharges higher in recent months, and its latest policy could prompt other carriers to consider following suit.

Starting Oct. 6, most United fares will require a one- to three-night or weekend-night minimum stay, spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said.

The new rules, which apply to nearly every ticket, are bound to be unpopular with business travelers who prefer to catch a flight out early in the morning so they can make it back home in time for dinner.

Major carriers scrapped most minimum-stay rules -- put in place largely to discourage big-budget corporate travelers from snatching up the cheapest seats -- years ago, although a number of airlines have been tightening up restrictions and tacking on fees in recent months as the price of fuel has soared.

United and US Airways last week joined American Airlines in charging passengers $15 to check their first piece of luggage.

How long passengers have to stay under United's new minimum-stay policy will depend on the destinations involved, the price of the ticket and the length of the flight.

For example, travelers booking the cheapest seats between Chicago and Minneapolis or Boston and San Diego will now be forced to stay three nights or the entire weekend, Urbanski said.

United also has raised its lowest fares by $1 to $90 one-way, meaning the least expensive available United ticket will now cost travelers $69 to $199 one-way, depending on the length of the flight.

For example, the cheapest one-way ticket for the 770-mile flight from Denver to St. Louis now costs $99, up from $89 before. A bargain ticket for a longer flight like Austin, Texas, to Los Angeles -- a journey of nearly 1,240 miles -- now costs $139, up from $79 one-way, Urbanski said.

Comments

[Lauramae]

United has proved to be one of the most irritating airlines. It's awful in every possible respect. The rows are too close together, I don't know how people taller than 5'9" can fly without damaging their kneecaps.

The customer service is trying from the moment you step in the line at the ticket counter, through to the point when they finally agree to take the bag and throw it on the conveyor. Extra charges for less and less service might be one way to shave costs, but when flying pretty much becomes the "greyhound bus" of the skies at 6 times the price, what is the point?

United is the "preferred carrier" for state gov't business in WA state. I will pay for my own ticket on any other airline to avoid using United for any reason.

[lewislipps]

All this airline industry uncertainty and consumer anxiety begs the airline industry be reregulated. It only makes since. Thirty years of oligopolistic practices, savagery towards the flying public, and multi-million dollar executive salaries compared to forty years of sustained growth, profitability and stability. The shills and apologists claim fares are cheaper, but that's not true. The experiment with deregulated airlines, as in most other deregulated industries has failed. It's time to bring cohesion and reliability and some modicum of service back to the airline industry. If the measures airlines are using to cover fuel costs were so necessary, we'd see foreign carriers rushing to join that "race to the bottom" in providing service and civility to customers, but that's not the case. Let's reregulate the airlines. The sooner the better. We will all pay cheaper fares, have better service, and no longer have to fear airline employees. Don't buy the hollow argument deregulation is better. Look where deregulation has gotten us.

[Ares1]

United was at one time a great airline, a meal on every flight, good service, all 50 states served, a modern fleet, what a fall United has taken, and all the legacy airlines. Airlines like Southwest, Jet Blue,
and Air Tran are the way to go in the domestic market and if you want good service going international
fly the carrier of the country that you are going to. I don't know how the hell the minimum stay requirement benefits the airline.

[SwingingFromCenter]

I don't know as though this is the death knell for the domestic airline industry, but it's definitely the death knell for United

What's going to happen is airlines like JAL or Qantas are going to move in and establish American presence, and eventually take over. Anyone who's ever flown Qantas or Lufthansa or JAL or the like knows that the difference between these airlines and our domestic airlines is like night and day. These are companies that actually still provide SERVICE and value while remaining profitable. The domestic airlines just don't get it--they think they can continue to treat us as little more than cattle and still expect us to give them our money.

[SwingingFromCenter]

I'm not sure if this is ringing the death knell for domestic airlines, or just United. But it's definitely one of them.

Air travel in this country isn't going to die; what's going to happen is companies like JAL or Qantas are going to start establishing US market presence and take over the industry here. These are companies taht aren't raising prices left and right and still provide SERVICE, which is something the domestic airlines have forgotten how to provide.

Anybody who has ever taken a flight on Qantas, JAL, Lufthansa etc. knows that the difference between these airlines and what is offered in the US is like night and day.

[Whodunit]

This is known as a Death Spiral.

As things go badly, the only alternatives available are to go back, sit still, or make matters worse. The airlines can't sit still--the accumulated greed of decades won't alow it. Fuel prices and accumulated bad will with passengers prevent them from returning to some golden oldie paradigm; they opted to lose money in order to outprice one another over three decades. And moving ahead into an uncertain future offers only worsening conditions. The only way for the corporations that own the airlines to stay afloat in some form is to terminate air service and wait for a miracle, which is eventually what they'll end up doing. This will inevitably lead to some sort of government emergency intervention that will inevitably make matters worse. And then we'll all fly around the good old US of A aboard Abu Dhabi Air and be grateful for every second of it.

[TXfemmom]

I think that United has failed to comprehend that there are other airlines, and all airlines seem to be missing that even with high gasoline prices, people can be shoved only so far.

Why risk getting cancelled and spending three days somewhere, when one has paid to check one's luggage, had to appear at the airport two hours before the flight, had to have a manual in order to follow all their cranky rules, been shoved in like sardines, have to deal with nasty staff, and pay more for the ticket than one would spend on gas. It all begins to equal out after a while, and many will simply DRIVE.

[Axolotl]

Pssst. Also in the works from United: optional copilots. If you want one, pay extra.

[Daly]

When the gas living was easy, these same airlines did not upgrade their fleet they have old planes that use gas like it is 1975 and because of that fact, they were able to offer less costly flights.

Like sheep they all followed each other, raising/lowering fares, contract negotiations never once moving outsie their greedy zone to come up with more innovative ideas.

Now they want us to fly rust buckets with annoying lines, lost luggage, extra fees for breathing and tempermental pilots to arrive late and if we are luck they will overbook, keep us hostage on the tarmack and now the best they can do is insist that we alter our travel plans to what end I am not sure.

Fast train are needed surely the airlines & railways could have figured out something to our benefit.

[MissingAmerica]

United has been too high for years. All they are doing with heavyhanded policies is throwing more money to Amtrak. Perhaps the government should help reinforce the tracks in this country. Strengthen the rail infrastructure and system and maybe then we can find an economical way to travel. Otherwise, they had better lower cable prices so we can simply watch the Travel Channel and Public Broadcasting.

[mediamarv]

So, you won't see me on a United flight. Imagine if every air traveler felt the same way... how would all those increased fees help those empty planes????

[dgscol]

in totl airlines consume 2bbl of oil/yr. This is 1/4 of all oil consumed.

[dgscol]

They have never built a fuel efficient jet engine. These planes suck fields of grain just to take off.
Each airlines uses many hundreds of millions of gallons.

[Daly]

and yet the airlines in EU are for the most part making $; of course they do not fly relics.

[totalliberal]

Get rid of all our passengers, (they're annoying anyway) and vote ourselves HUGE bonuses. American business, ain't it great.

[SouthJerseySteve]

The more these older airlines (United, American, Delta, Northwest) make stupid rules and add even dumber fees, the more I fly Southwest! Too bad Jet Blue doesn't fly out of Philly. Maybe after these "legacy" airlines go belly up, there will be more gates at PHL for more Southwest flights and space for adding Jet Blue airlines.

[GerryS]

I think I'll buy some stock in the companies that make web cams and teleconferencing equipment.
Looks like the airlines are making this the required wave of the future-