United Airlines to Move to Tiered Fares for Polaris and Premium Plus

United Airlines is making major changes to its fare structure in Polaris and Premium Plus, introducing a three-tiered system that will give flyers different perks and a range of flexibility based on what fare they pick.

United says it will begin rolling out the changes this month in select, mostly domestic markets, and then expand the tiers to international, transcontinental U.S., and select Hawaii routes later in 2026.

For flyers, this means they’ll have to choose between a base, standard, and flexible fare for all their tickets with United, which already offers tiered fares in the main cabin. Here is how it shakes out:

Base Fare

The lowest-end fare, Base, will get flyers into the premium or Polaris cabin but will only allow access to the United Club rather than the Polaris lounge. Base fare premium and Polaris flyers will get a checked bag and a carry-on, but no options to upgrade, change their flight, or get a refund. They will essentially trade flexibility for a lower fare.

Standard

Standard fares in both United Premium and Polaris get flyers into those cabins with two checked bags, a carry-on, and access to both United Clubs and United Polaris lounges. Standard fare guests will be able to change their flight and upgrade to a Polaris Studio for a fee. They’ll also be able to receive a travel credit should they want a refund.

Flexible

Flexible is the highest-tier fare in the new structure. Flexible tickets give flyers all the perks of the Standard fare, plus the ability to get a full refund.

United first introduced the tiered structure in its main cabin in February 2017. It started with the launch of Basic Economy initially in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market before rolling it out across its entire domestic and international network.

Since then, travelers have been using the “Basic, Standard, and Flexible” categories in the main cabin for the last nine years.

United is also not the first of the Big Four U.S. airlines to introduce a lower-end option in premium. Delta introduced Delta Comfort Basic late last year, starting it on flights in November. Travelers made the same trade with Delta’s lower-level premium cabin, opting out of flexibility and the ability to get a refund in order to get into that cabin at a lower price.