Cheap First Class Airfare Is There For The Taking

[camachinist Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close camachinist]

Does this mean we are now back in first grade?

Yeah, Frank, like me and timesharing

We all know what we know, eh?

Pat

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

You want to know how to get upgraded (and for free)? Travel with your cute, 15 year old daughter who is pot-op for hip surgery in a wheelchair. Fly on a day when the flights aren't completely full, screw it up so they can't upgrade your seat since you've used half of a ff ticket. Then have the gate agent feel sorry for you and offer you a seat in 1st class next to your daughter if he can persuade another nice passenger to give up his aisle seat. Oh, and the catch. Not enough first class meals on the plane. BUT, they will give you for free the meal that can be purchased, and you'll still get the heated nuts, free booze and hot fudge sundae. All the way from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Color me happy. Or at least as happy as I could be under the circumstances.

[camachinist Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close camachinist]

Glad to hear about your op-up. We UA elites have GTEM's for such displays of extrordinary service in the face of such circumstance. GTEM means, literally, "going the extra mile" and the comments end up in the employee's permanent record. Also, female gate agents (and some of the guys) nearly universally enjoy a little box of chocolates now and again. Spread the good cheer around

I'm assuming this was on UA, because the warm nuts served in F on UA are often a "hot" topic on FlyerTalk. Hope your daughter's recovery is successful and brief.

Pat

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Pat, thank you for the tutorial. I appreciate your sharing your knowledge. Unfortunately, I don't understand much of it, either, but I am sure willing to learn!

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Thanks. Yes, it was United. I wish I'd gotten the gate agent's (male) name. I didn't even think to do so. Not exactly the first thing on my mind that day. And Philadelphia is not an airport we normally fly in and out of.

[Berkeley Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Berkeley]

Yes, Pat, thanks for the tutorial. It's amazing the things I have learned on the various timeshare websites!

[Anne1125 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Anne1125]

These fares don't look so cheap to me. How is it a deal?

Anne

[camachinist Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close camachinist]

These fares don't look so cheap to me. How is it a deal?

Anne

Most business and elite fliers understand some of the interplay of money and benefits/perks between the different classes of service. Everything from COS bonuses to airport perks to preference when making changes comes into play, in addition to the obvious pricing.

I would hazard a guess that nearly half the posts on FlyerTalk pertain in some way to this interplay. There is even a small group of mileage runners who specifically target "premium" fares for mileage running. Too rich for my blood but they do some amazing things.

If it interests you, you could probably gain a rudimentary understanding in 10-20 hours of reading. I've likely got a few thousand hours in over the years. For me it's fun, kinda like my wife reading romance novels

Pat

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

Pat,

I have joined the Flyer Talk. Are there any threads or subjects that a very very raw newbie should begin their reading? Thanks.

[camachinist Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close camachinist]

First, a much more detailed tool FAQ than I have here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312559

Don't know who is your primary carrier, but you'd also want to begin by reading the appropriate carrier forum. Be sure to use the "search this forum" drop down box with any appropriate parameters.

Personally, I read for about a year before I started posting. If you wish to understand why, read the thread below about one of my rate issue finds in Asia...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=508092

Pat

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

Pat,

Thanks for your response. I will follow and read the FAQ thread. I can't believe you had a 91 page thread!!!

My primary carriers from Houston are Continental and Southwest Airlines.

I will start to read what I can and try to understand all of the acronyms and airline industry speak.

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

I'm going to need to take a business trip to Salt Lake City in the next week or so. Since I don't know the exact date, I know the fare will be expensive. When I make the reservation through our travel service, do I ask them specifically to look for a Y-up or a Q up fare? Not really sure how this works, even reading Pat's tutorials.

Thanks,
Sue

[Hostelling Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hostelling]

Pat,

Thanks for your response. I will follow and read the FAQ thread. I can't believe you had a 91 page thread!!!

My primary carriers from Houston are Continental and Southwest Airlines.

I will start to read what I can and try to understand all of the acronyms and airline industry speak.

Hi Mike,

Would you direct me to first class aboard Southwest

[short Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close short]

Looking for first class fares

I'm going to need to take a business trip to Salt Lake City in the next week or so. Since I don't know the exact date, I know the fare will be expensive. When I make the reservation through our travel service, do I ask them specifically to look for a Y-up or a Q up fare? Not really sure how this works, even reading Pat's tutorials.

Thanks,
Sue

Sue,
You didn't say where you are flying from.

I usually go to expedia, orbitz or one of the search engines. I search for business or first class fares to see which airline has the lowest. I then go directly to the individual airlines and search for first class pricing.

Discounted first class could pop up on any airline but some routes are more likely than others. Some discounted first class fares have cancellation and change penalties and some do not. You have to read the fare details to be sure. If change is likely the lower cost fares FC fares might not be for you.

The fare codes are sometimes different on different airlines. You are not just looking for YUP fares. FC could be discounted and called F, A, P etc. Just make sure you like the price and know what the penelties are.

short

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

Thanks for your reply. I guess I left out some information. I will be flying from Boston. I have an unused ticket on United, so I'm planning to convert that one. Since I have to fly "coach", for business reasons, I'm looking for one of these "y-up" fares that was discussed a while back. The discussion totally confused me.