Under the new policy, unused tickets purchased between May 2019 and the end of this year will be valid through the end of 2023. Tickets purchased on or after Jan. 1 of next year will be valid for 12 months from the issue date.

Previously, the carrier had set the expiration date for tickets purchased during the pandemic to the end of this year or 12 months from the purchase date, whichever fell later.

Also on Thursday, United announced that effective immediately customers may cancel wholly unused basic economy tickets and keep those funds as credit toward another ticket. A cancellation fee of $49.50 each way for domestic tickets and $99.50 each way for international tickets will be assessed.

United traditionally has not allowed any changes to basic economy itineraries, although it did allow such changes without a fee during portions of the pandemic. The carrier’s most recent pandemic-related waiver for basic economy expired at the end of 2021.

United plans to keep the new policy over the long-term.