Do tickets in coach typically get sold in the order of lowest/cheapest fare code first?
I feel like I'm like most people when shopping for a flight. I go to a website that compares prices for my trip and I make a choice based on some combination of lowest price, best times, and preferred airline.
If it's true that the vast majority of coach class tickets are sold this way, is it likely that for a given flight, tickets are sold in order of the cheapest available fare code first? Therefore, from the perspective of one's chance at a complementary upgrade, at the time anyone buys their ticket, they are probably getting one that has the highest-priority fare code yet sold for that flight?
I'm asking because I recently bought a ticket only a few days ahead of the departure date. It was expensive, but still had a relatively low-priority fare code (I expected a much higher-priority fare code). If the above assumptions are true, this should still be one of the highest fare codes yet sold for this flight, correct?
Best Answer
It's possible to pick a more expensive fare, for example if you want more flexibility or frequent flyer miles. By default, most airline websites will show the cheapest fare first but allow the user to pick a more flexible fare if they wish. Online travel agents and other third parties might not always offer this functionality but there is no guarantee that nobody booked a more expensive flexible fare through another channel even if some seats in the less flexible one are still available.
But there is a lot more than that to upgrades. General consensus is that free upgrades have become much less common and with so many people chasing them (including frequent flyers who will come before you and can often upgrade automatically online). Personally, I haven't been upgraded since the 1990s (but I am mostly flying in Europe). So I wouldn't count on getting one merely because you booked your ticket later than usual. See also What techniques, tricks or otherwise have you used to get upgrades on flights?
Also, if there are still seats in the lowest fare code shortly before departure, it suggests that the fly is not full so one of the major reason to upgrade someone (namely overbooking) doesn't apply.
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How do you read a fare basis code?
The first character of the fare basis code is always a letter, and will almost always match the booking class....Booking class.Booking codeMeaningFfull-fare First class, on airlines which have first class distinct from business class.Jfull-fare Business classWfull-fare Premium economyYfull-fare Economy classWhat do the letter codes mean on airline tickets?
Airline tickets have a single letter code listed as class or status that tells the airline where you're sitting. Among the most common, Y is full-fare economy, T is discounted economy. J is full fare in business class, D is discounted business.Are Coach flights cheapest?
Coach Class FlightsEconomy class, commonly known as coach, is the cheapest type of airline ticket you can buy. If simply getting from point A to point B is what you're aiming for, or if your flight is relatively short, coach seats get you there and can save you a lot of money.How do I get the lowest airfare?
Best Cheap Flights Websites NOBODY is Talking About | How to Find Cheap Flights 2022
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Answer 2
Your fare class is a 2nd tier factor for upgrades, not a primary one. Airlines first look at your elite level status. They then rank their top tier flyers by the fare class. They then go the next elite level down and the same. So forth until they reach the non-elite flyers.
It is not 100% cut and dry, as gold elite flyer on a full Y fare might get priority over a diamond flyer on a cheapo ticket. But the chances of an upgrade for a non-elite flyer is pretty much nil, regardless of fare. And even lower level elites see very few upgrades these days.
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