One of the Most Absurd Changes to Air Travel Has Become So Common You Barely Even Notice It. You Should.

"We wound up being delayed nine hours, but at least we got to sit together after most other passengers had bailed. I was mad about the delay, but I didn't think until later to be mad about why I'd been passed over on the standby list, or why it took such a brutal delay for me to get to sit next to my partner."

"It used to be that the class delineator in airplane cabins was first class vs. everyone else. In the past decade, a new one has emerged: those booking regular economy tickets against people in this seedy new basic economy class. On United Airlines, basic economy flyers do not even get a carry-on, only a backpack or purse. On every major airline, passengers in basic economy board last and, most importantly, do not get to pick their seats."

In late July I prepared to fly with my then fiancée from Los Angeles to Charlotte for our wedding; the flight was also my birthday. I had bought basic economy tickets, accepting the risk of not sitting together to save money. The flight was delayed repeatedly; a standby attempt on an earlier departure failed after another couple jumped the list, and a gate agent implied the basic-economy booking contributed. The delay stretched nine hours, and only after many passengers abandoned the flight did we get to sit together. Basic economy functions as a lower cabin class, stripping seat selection, boarding priority, and sometimes carry-on rights. At 31, I routinely opt for basic economy and had not known free seat selection to be standard.

Read at Slate Magazine