American Airlines has announced that it will end restrictions on carry-on items for passengers travelling on Basic Economy fares.
When the fare type launched last year to compete with low-cost carriers and other legacy airlines, American restricted passengers on domestic and short-haul international flights to a single personal item that had to fit under the seat. Customers who turned up at the gate with anything larger were required to pay a US$25 penalty on top of the checked bag fee.
In its second-quarter results report, American announced it would remove the restriction from 5 September “to make Basic Economy more competitive”.
Robert Isom, president of American Airlines, commented: “Basic Economy is working well in the markets where we offer it, and we continue to see more than 60 per cent of customers buy up to Main Cabin when offered a choice. Removing the bag restriction will make Basic Economy more competitive, allowing us to offer this low-fare product to more customers.”
aa.com