United Airlines announced a restructuring of its premium fare offerings, introducing tiered categories to simplify purchasing and allow customization based on cost, benefits, and flexibility.
Starting spring 2026, the airline will offer three fare options—Base, Standard, and Flexible—in premium cabins for long-haul international flights, select U.S. transcontinental routes, and flights to Hawaii.
In United Polaris, available on select international and transcontinental routes, the tiers differ in lounge access and change policies. Base provides the lowest price with one checked bag and United Club access but charges for seat selection and offers no changes or refunds. Standard includes seat selection, two checked bags, flight changes, full United Polaris Lounge access, and paid upgrades to United Polaris Studio. Flexible adds full refundability to Standard benefits.
Andrew Nocella, Uniteds commercial vice president, stated these options help customers balance value and added perks.
United Premium Plus follows a similar structure. Base is nonrefundable with paid seat selection, one checked bag, and no changes or upgrades. Standard allows changes for travel credit, includes two checked bags, seat selection, and upgrades via cash, miles, or PlusPoints. Flexible ensures full refunds to the original payment method.
The airline redesigned its website and app to clearly display these tiers alongside unchanged United Economy options. New categories will launch in select markets this month, expanding by year-end to all targeted routes.
These changes provide more choices for travelers seeking value, extras, or maximum flexibility, according to Nocella.