Skift Take
It's a short reprieve, but this is good news for travelers. For the next couple of months, they can buy the cheapest tickets on American and United and still get all the perks that the airlines offer to customers who buy pricier tickets.
By now, all three major U.S. airlines were supposed to be selling new discount fares that allowed them to more forcefully compete with domestic airlines known for bare-bones service — Frontier Airlines, Allegiant Air, and Spirit Airlines.
But major airlines are complex entities, and sometimes they cannot implement new strategies as quickly as they wish. So while Delta Air Lines has been aggressive in rolling out its new super cheap fares, even selling them in some international markets, United Airlines and American Airlines have fallen slightly behind. Both carriers have said in the past week that they do not expect to meet their goal of implementation by year-end.
American said Thursday on its third quarter earnings call that it should have the new no-frills fares in place early next year. United, which had once planned to implement the fares in October, has not said when it will introduce them.
This is good news for traveler
