Two of the U.S. big legacy airlines are trying out new policies to win passengers and loyalty. One is cutting fares for young adults; the other is protecting passengers’ knees and laptops in economy.
United’s offering 18-22 year-olds a 10% discount on North America travel, but it’s time-limited; travel has to be booked by Dec. 31, and the passenger must belong to United’s MileagePlus loyalty program. The goal of the offer, evidently, is to win loyal customers: a United official told USA Today that “The reason why we’re doing this is we’re really interested in starting a relationship with newer, younger customers.”
Delta, meanwhile, is extending an initiative it started a few months ago: limiting how much its seats can recline into the knees of the passenger behind. Over the summer, Delta reduced recline on its A320s by two inches each; the planes mostly service flights under two hours. The same plan will now be extended to Delta’s 91 Boeing 717s.
