Reference Guide for Agency Partners

1

Basic Economy

Reference Guide for Agency Partners

Q2 2022

American Airlines, the Flight Symbol logo and the Tail Design are marks of American Airlines, Inc. oneworld is a mark of the oneworld Alliance, LLC. © 2020 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.

2

Contents

Basic Economy Overview ..................................................................................................................... 3

Booking & Fare Rule Details (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag) ......................................................... 3

Seat Map Information (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag) ................................................................... 4

Displaying and Inhibiting Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag ................................................................. 4

Communicating Restrictions (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag) ......................................................... 5

Fare Displays – Sabre (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag) .................................................................. 6

Fare Displays – Travelport (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag) .......................................................... 11

Fare Displays – Amadeus Native GDS Display (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag) .......................... 14

Fare Displays – Amadeus Best Pricer Native GDS Display (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag) ....... 17

3

Basic Economy Overview

American Airlines is focused on meeting customers’ needs by offering Basic Economy in addition to a wide range of other

Main Cabin fares. These low-cost fares provide a simple and affordable way to experience American’s network.

American offers Basic Economy within United States and on flights between United States and Canada, Mexico,

Caribbean, Central America, South America & Europe. American also offers Basic Economy on codeshare flights

operated by Atlantic Joint Business partners British Airways, Iberia, and Finnair between the United States and Europe.

Now, American has added Basic Economy to select long haul flights between United States and Asia, Oceania, India &

Israel.

While customers will still get a comfortable seat in the Main Cabin and enjoy free snacks, soft drinks, and in-flight

entertainment, it is important for customers to understand the following details when planning their travel as we have two

flavors of Basic Economy fares: Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag.

• Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag will not be offered in the same market at the same time

• For both Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag on short and long-haul flights, customers may travel with two pieces of

carry-on luggage:

o One personal item that fits underneath the seat with linear dimensions no greater than 18 x 14 x 8 inches

o One large carry-on item with linear dimensions no greater than 22 x 14 x 9 inches

• Checked Bag

o Basic Economy product – No free checked bag, checked baggage is available for purchase

o Basic Plus Bag product – 1 free checked bag, additional checked baggage is available for purchase

o If you're an AAdvantage® status member or premium credit card holder, your status & PCC bag

allowance applies if it's higher than the fare bag allowance

• Priority Access is available for purchase for non-status members from the time of booking. Status members will

enjoy priority access benefits like the one’s offered today

• Boarding passes will reflect the last boarding group for non-status members

• AAdvantage status customers and eligible AAdvantage credit card members will board with the group correlated

to their status or membership.

• American provides Same Day Flight Change (SDFC) and Same day Standby (SDS) beginning 24 hours before

departure. This is offered to all fares including Basic Economy and Basic Plus Bag

• Seat selection is offered starting at the time of booking or customers can wait to be assigned a complimentary

seat at time of check-in or the departure gate

• Paid Cabin upgrades (DODU) can be purchased beginning 24 hours before departure

• Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fares earn award miles and Loyalty Points

Booking & Fare Rule Details (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag)

• Fares and rules will be filed in ATPCO and will be in published tariffs.

• Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fares cannot be combined with any other type of private or published fares

• Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fares are non-changeable & non-refundable

• Basic Economy can only be sold on American Airlines ticket stock or ticket stock on codeshare flights operated by

Atlantic Joint Business partners British Airways, Iberia, and Finnair

o Basic Economy fares (BESH) are offered on AA, AA*/AJB (AY, BA, IB), as well as AJB*/AA flights

o Basic Economy fares (BESH) can be sold on AA 001 or AJB ticket stock (AY/105, BA/125, or IB/075)

• Basic Economy Plus Bag fares (BELH) are offered in select international markets and must be sold on AA/001

ticket stock

• The number of Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fare levels may vary by market and may not be filed in every

Main Cabin availability class

4

• To identify whether it’s a Basic Economy or Basic Plus Bag product you can look at the Fare Brand or 7th

character of the Fare Basis Code as shown in the table below-

Fare Name Fare Brand

7th character of the Fare

Basis Code Booking Code

Basic Economy BASIC B B

Basic Plus Bag BASICB Z B

• Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fares will have a fare type code of ‘EOU’ (Economy One-way Unbundled) or

‘ERU’ (Economy Roundtrip Unbundled)

• Domestic reservations for what’s known as open jaw or multi-city itineraries are not available for Basic Economy

& Basic Plus Bag.

• Fare attributes and restrictions can be found on aa.com and in Sabre Branded Fares, Travelport Rich Content &

Branding, and Amadeus Fare Families

• In a multi-passenger PNR, all passengers must be booked on a Basic Economy or Basic Plus Bag fare.

• Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fares will not be available for Group Bookings (10 passengers or more)

Seat Map Information (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag)

• For Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fares on short haul and long-haul flights, the seat map will show all seats as available for purchase starting at time of booking

• If a Basic Economy or a Basic Plus Bag customer does not select a seat, one will be assigned at time of check-in

or the departure gate

• Below is what the existing Master AA seat maps will display. Seat map designators are noted with: *L, *P, and *G.

Seat Type Basic Economy or

Basic Plus Bag

MCE *L (fee)

Preferred *P (fee)

Standard *G (fee)

Displaying and Inhibiting Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag

If you do not wish to sell Basic Economy or Basic Plus Bag fares, GDSs and booking tools have the ability to inhibit the

display of Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag fares. Please contact your GDS or corporate booking tool for detailed

instructions on how to inhibit Basic Economy.

If an agency has not taken steps to inhibit Basic Economy or Basic Plus Bag fares, Basic Economy or Basic Plus Bag

fares will be displayed as the lowest available fare in markets where it is filed, and can be identified by the booking code

B, even if you do not see the name “Basic Economy” or “Basic Plus Bag”.

5

Communicating Restrictions (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag)

As customers consider purchasing a Basic Economy or a Basic Plus Bag fare, fare rules and restrictions should be clearly

communicated to them before they finalize their purchase. American has worked with GDS, booking tool, and online

travel agency partners to provide accurate messaging that can be communicated to customers and used in shopping and

branded fare displays.

In addition, American has added a new Basic Economy landing page to aa.com as an additional resource for you to use.

http://www.aa.com/

6

Fare Displays – Sabre (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag)

Basic Economy when pricing the lowest fare (example)

Note: Basic Economy fare basis codes have a B or Z (Basic Plus Bag) in the 7th character, though this may change based

on future program requirements. The remainder of the fare basis code will be the same as the equivalent Main Cabin fare

basis.

Basic Economy Basic Plus Bag

Inhibiting Basic Economy Fares in Sabre

Sabre provides a couple options for inhibiting Basic Economy fares, both of which use Sabre’s WPNC entry to price the

lowest fare, while excluding Basic Economy.

WPNC¥XBB this entry prices the lowest non-Basic Economy fare

WPNC¥BRMAIN this entry prices the lowest non-Basic Economy fare by specifying the Main Cabin brand ID

Examples of these entries follow.

Pricing the lowest non-Basic Economy fare in a market (example)

Pricing the lowest non-Basic Economy fare in Main Cabin using the brand ID of MAIN (example)

7

Basic Economy fare quote showing the brand name (example)

Note: Using the RB entry brings up the dual availability requirement for the Basic Economy fare

BASIC for Basic Economy

BASICB for Basic Plus Bag

8

Basic Economy pop-up when hovering over the Brand ID in Sabre Red (example)



Lowest fare available;

• Seats assigned at check-in*

• Fees to choose a specific seat*

• Upgrades are eligible for purchase*

• No flight changes or refunds*

• Board in last group

• Same-day standby on American flights

(based on availability)

*AAdvantage® elite status members can

access their elite benefits such as:

Upgrades, Elite seat, and Same-day

confirmed flight change.

Lowest fare available;

• One free checked bag

• Seats assigned at check-in*

• Fees to choose a specific seat*

• Upgrades are eligible for purchase*

• No flight changes or refunds*

• Board in last group

• Same-day standby on American flights

(based on availability)

*AAdvantage® elite status members can

access their elite benefits such as:

Upgrades, Elite seat, and Same-day

confirmed flight change.

9

Fare comparison chart in Sabre Red when you click “Compare fare features” link

Domestic Example:

Flagship® First /

Flagship® First Flexible

Flagship® Business / Flagship® Business

Flexible

First / First Flexible

Main Plus (NDC ONLY) Main Cabin /

Main Cabin Flexible Basic Economy

Routes JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO, and

select MIA-LAX flights

JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO, and select MIA-LAX flights

Domestic 2-cabin aircraft Domestic Domestic Domestic (select routes)

Checked baggage 3 free checked bags 2 free checked bags 2 free checked bags 1 free checked bag Available for purchase Available for purchase

Carry-on baggage

1 item to store in overhead bin 1 item that fits under the seat






Same-day flight change / standby

Complimentary Complimentary Complimentary

Complimentary Same-

day standby; Same-day flight change available for purchase on select flights

Complimentary Same-day

standby; Same-day flight change available for purchase on select flights

Complimentary Same-

day standby; Same-day flight change available for purchase on select flights

AAdvantage® award miles

Earn based on member status and ticket price






Lounge access International First Class

Lounge (Flagship® Lounge) or Admirals Club

International First Class Lounge (Flagship® Lounge) or Admirals Club

Admirals Club® membership available for purchase




Check-In Flagship® First Check-In Priority check-in Priority check-in Priority check-in

available for purchase Priority check-in available

for purchase Priority check-in

available for purchase

Boarding Priority Priority Priority Preferred Group 5

Boarding General (Priority available

for purchase) Last group (Priority

available for purchase)

Upgrades - Available - Available Available Available

Flexibility Some fares may be

refundable; changes allowed

Some fares may be refundable; changes allowed




Non-refundable; no changes allowed

Inflight dining Chef-inspired meals, all

food & beverages complimentary

Chef-inspired meals, all food & beverages complimentary


Complimentary pretzels/cookies & non-alcoholic beverages; alcoholic drinks and meals available for purchase; Free meal on select transcontinental flights to/from JFK

Complimentary pretzels/cookies & non-alcoholic beverages; alcoholic drinks and meals available for purchase; Free meal on select transcontinental flights to/from JFK

Complimentary pretzels/cookies & non-alcoholic beverages; alcoholic drinks and meals available for purchase

Inflight entertainment

Complimentary in-seat entertainment, wireless streaming and overhead screens available on select aircraft






Main Cabin Extra & Preferred Seats

- - - Included Available for purchase Available for purchase

Pre-Reserved Seat selection

Complimentary Complimentary Complimentary Available Available Available for purchase

10

Fare comparison chart in Sabre Red when you click “Compare fare features” link

Trans Pacific Example:

Flagship® First /

Flagship® First Flexible

Flagship® Business / Flagship® Business

Flexible

"Premium Economy / Premium Economy

Flexible" Main Plus (NDC ONLY)

Main Cabin / Main Cabin Flexible

Basic Plus Bag

Routes Trans Pacific Trans Pacific Trans Pacific Trans Pacific Trans Pacific Trans Pacific

Checked baggage 3 free checked bags 2 free checked bags 2 free checked bags 2 free checked bags 1 free checked bag 1 free checked bag

Carry-on baggage







Same-day flight change / standby

Complimentary Complimentary

Complimentary Same-day standby; Same-day flight change available for purchase on select flights




AAdvantage® award miles







Lounge access International First Class

Lounge (Flagship® Lounge) or Admirals Club

International First Class Lounge (Flagship® Lounge) or Admirals Club





Check-In Flagship® First Check-In Priority check-in Priority check-in Priority check-in available

for purchase Priority check-in available

for purchase Priority check-in available

for purchase

Boarding Priority Priority Priority Preferred Group 5

Boarding General (Priority available

for purchase) Last group (Priority

available for purchase)

Upgrades - Available Available Available Available Available

Flexibility Some fares may be

refundable; changes allowed





Non-refundable; no changes allowed

Inflight dining Chef-inspired meals, all

food & beverages complimentary


Enhanced meal service with complimentary wine, beer and spirits

Complimentary snacks, meals & non-alcoholic beverages; free wine on flights between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand; additional alcoholic drinks available for purchase



Inflight entertainment







Main Cabin Extra & Preferred Seats

- - - Included Available for purchase Available for purchase

Pre-Reserved Seat selection

Complimentary Complimentary Complimentary Available Available Available for purchase

11

Fare Displays – Travelport (Basic Economy & Basic Plus Bag)

Inhibiting Basic Economy Fares in Travelport

$BB/FXD - this modified pricing entry returns the lowest non-Basic Economy fare

Basic Economy availability in Smartpoint shop-by-schedule, identifiable by the B booking code (example)

Note: Click on the <<B>> to bring up more detail in the Rich Content & Branding window.

13

Basic Economy fare quotes in Smartpoint using shop-by price,

along with upsell offers to Main Cabin & First Class (example)

Note: Click on the fare amount to bring up more detail in the Rich Content & Branding window.

14

Fare Displays – Amadeus Native GDS Display (Basic Economy & Basic

Plus Bag)

FXB – Best Pricer will price & re-book the itinerary in the lowest fare, e.g. Basic Economy (example)

FXY – Shows you all of the upsell options (example)

15

FXY/FFH – Shows you all of the homogenous upsell options, i.e. same fare family on round trip (example)

FQFn – Shows you the details of selected fare family (example)

16

FXB/FF-MAIN – Agent can directly price the lowest fare in a selected fare family,

thus skipping a lower fare family that may not be desirable (example)

17

Fare Displays – Amadeus Best Pricer Native GDS Display (Basic Economy & Basic

Plus Bag)

Amadeus Best Pricer will price & re-book the itinerary in the lowest fare, e.g. Basic Economy (example)

Basic Economy booking with upsell options (example)

18

Clicking on the fare family will show the details of what each selection entitles the passenger (example)

19

Agent can choose to price directly by a fare family, e.g. Main Cabin (example)

Reference Guide for Agency Partners

Documents

Transcript of Reference Guide for Agency Partners