US: Companies to airlines: We don't want your cheapest fares

Corporate travel providers say that many of their clients are asking them to block airlines' basic economy airfares. With these fares, passengers often cannot select a seat ahead of time, upgrade, make changes or get a refund. For businesses that haven't blocked these fares, a wrong decision could mean both an unhappy employee and getting stuck with a big bill if the traveler's plans change. Egencia, the corporate travel platform of Expedia, said none of its clients display basic economy fares to their employees. "For now our conclusion is that basic economy is, by design, not business traveler friendly," said Egencia's COO. "We know plans often change so flexibility on business is key." <br/>