United Adds Base, Standard and Flexible Fares to First and Business Class

October 2, 2026 — United Airlines (UA) is bringing its three-tier fare structure to domestic first class and short-haul international business class this fall, and has added a personal flight-history feature to its app.

Base, Standard and Flexible up front

United will sell United First and United Business in three versions starting in fall 2026. The exact start date is TBA. United First tiers apply on domestic US flights. United Business tiers apply between the US and Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Fare	Checked bags	Seat selection	Changes	Refunds
Base	1	For a fee	No	No
Standard	2	Included	Yes	No
Flexible	2	Included	Yes	Yes

United introduced the same structure for Polaris and Premium Plus in April 2026. Airline Geeks, which reported the expansion on October 1, notes Delta has taken a similar approach.

“My Flight Journey” in the app

United’s app now shows travellers their own statistics: flights taken, miles flown, time in the air and the specific aircraft they flew on. One Mile at a Time reported the feature today and compared it to the Flighty app. Rollout details and eligibility are TBA.

What it means for non-revs

Cheaper front-cabin fares can mean fewer empty front-cabin seats. A lower Base price gives United a new way to sell first class seats that might otherwise have gone to upgrades and, after that, to pass riders. United has published no figures, so watch the F column on the routes you fly.
Base passengers cannot change flights. That makes them less likely to move off a flight voluntarily, which matters on days when standbys rely on revenue passengers rebooking.
No pass-policy change. Nothing in the announcement alters boarding priority or cabin eligibility for employees, retirees or buddy-pass riders.
Enthusiasts: the new app feature logs specific aircraft. Whether it counts non-rev segments is TBA.