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People sometimes think I’m crazy when I tell them they really can find first class tickets for less than coach. I am talking about Y-Up airfares, which happen to be one of my favorite subjects. To most people these fares look and feel like coach fares, but they’re not. And they’re not first class upgrades. Y-Up airfares are for reserved first class seats, and yes, they can be less expensive than coach fares. Keep reading to see how just today I was shopping for a Disney trip and could have taken advantage of a Y-Up airfare… |
Here is a perfect example of a Y-Up. Let’s say you wanted to travel from Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) to Orlando (MCO) (it’s time to take my daughter to Disney World again). The preferred dates for the trip would have been March 15 to March 22, non-stop. Here is the lowest coach airfare that American Airlines has listed for those days. Keep in mind that the week of travel coincides with Easter and Spring Break in many areas, and the airlines know it:
OK, coach is $857. Now, if I hit “more options” in the “Modify Search” box on the American Website, I can scroll down to “#5 - Cabin Preferences” and switch from “Economy” to “Business Class & Higher” and check “with restrictions:”
Once you’ve made the change and hit “Go,” you’ll get the first class rate American Airlines is listing for the same dates:
Yep, I can fly first class for $786. These are the Y-Up airfares I’m talking about. I’d be saving money, flying first class, bonus frequent flyer miles and actually might even get to eat a meal on a plane. These savings don’t even hint at the best of Y-Up deals. You can come across Y-Up fares that will run you hundreds of dollars less than a coach ticket.
Y-Ups aren’t the easiest fares to find when searching on your own, but at FareCompare we are better equipped to find them for you than any other website. Let us help you fly first class for far less than you ever thought you could.
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yes, but this only addresses American. How do you handle this on Continental?
Comment by nic — January 9, 2008 @ 9:57 pm
Who would want to spend $4k on transportation even for 8 hours? I don’t consider it wise to spend that kind of money on a single seat.
Comment by Jackie — January 10, 2008 @ 3:44 am
Can you get Y-Up airfares on European airlines or asia airlines ?
Your information is appreciated.
Thank You
Comment by levary Rene — January 10, 2008 @ 3:53 am
I TRIED, DID NOT WORK. THE PRICE WAS VERY EXPENSIVE!
Comment by ME — January 10, 2008 @ 6:49 am
How about for overseas flights, e.g. Newark to Tel Aviv?
Comment by B. Loev — January 10, 2008 @ 7:28 am
I’m planning a trip to Italy. Are Y-ups/U-ups available generally for intl flights as well. Or better yet, have you enountered dealswith Y-up airfares in intl flights? Is it worth it?
Many thanks
Comment by Betta — January 10, 2008 @ 8:09 am
You said that it cost you $ 857.00 for you & your daughter. WOW,,, what fare class are you travelling in? R/T economy from DFW to MCO is less than 225.00 p/p.
Comment by DAVID LEADBETTER — January 10, 2008 @ 9:05 am
Anything similar on United?
Comment by Natalie — January 10, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
Comment by Rick Seaney — January 10, 2008 @ 5:07 pm
You could also hop on one foot from DFW to Orlando, but why would you?
Your example, while true, is so skewed as to be useless to most travellers. You’re talking about full-fare coach, which represents a miniscule percentage of all the coach seats sold on any given flight. By moving the arrival or departure dates by just one day - and trust me, six days with the mouse is better than seven and five is better still - you can cut the coach fare you quote by 25 to 35%. Just by waiting two days (today, Jan 10 at 7.15 pm) the price dropped by $200 for exactly the same dates you used.
And by flying to Tampa - an hour from Disney World and let’s face it, you’re gonna have a rental car anyway - a day later and returning a day sooner the price drops to less than a third of that which you cite: $272 r/t on a nonstop. Dunno ’bout you but saving a bit less than $600 EACH beats sitting up front for two hours.
Compare apples to apples (lowest coach fare available to lowest coach fare that gets you seated in First Class, a Y-Up) and I doubt your claim will ever hold water.
Comment by Tom Murphy — January 10, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
Comment by Rick Seaney — January 10, 2008 @ 10:35 pm
Warning
On most airlines these YUP’s are not considered first class fares, so you do not earn the bonus miles and when delays occur (weather, mechanical etc) you may find yourself seated in coach.
In the cases where the coach is more then the YUP, I agree go for the YUP.
Also to note, there are sometimes actual First Class fares that are cheaper then YUP’s.
Comment by Greg — January 15, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
Regarding Alaska Air Lines and “Y” ups, is their full fare the same as a u-up? I looked at the fare code and they always have a U in the code. Other airlines have a “Y” in the rate code.?
Thank you
Comment by Darlene — January 24, 2008 @ 7:09 am
This maybe a silly question…But, why aren’t Y&Q-ups available on International flights ?
Is there such a way to get discounted First/Business class for International fare ?
Comment by Debbie — January 28, 2008 @ 10:01 pm
can find y-ups or qupps for such for flights to mexixco?
Comment by person — March 27, 2008 @ 12:59 pm
While there are situations, such as the above, where you are booking on short notice, or at a popular time, where Y-UP might be cheaper than full fare coach, the best way to get the lowest price is to book far enough in advance. For example, as of this posting on 04/06/2008, I did a search in October for DFW-Orlando and find that you can get coach fares for as low as $198 ($219 with the tax) on AA.
Southwest shows fares as low as $79 each way plus tax (about $180-ish with taxes). Fourteen or twenty-one day advance purchase required. In the Dallas-Orlando example, that would be out of Dallas Love Field (DAL) and would require one stop pursuant to the Wright Amendment phase out agreement. Southwest offers non-stop service from a variety of cities to Orlando, generally with the lowest fare in the $59 to $99 one way, plus tax range.
No First Class, of course, on Southwest, but if you check in early, you *might* get an exit row which has some additional leg room. Meal = peanuts — bring your own food.
So, while it is true that you can fly first class for less than FULL FARE coach, its pretty hard to fly first class for less than “best price” coach.
There is a huge difference between paying $180 round trip and paying $786 round trip. First class is a lot more comfortable, but I can promise you, that meal in each direction is not worth $600. I’ll leave it to you to decide if the the meal and the comfort is worth $600 per person.
The best way to fly first class at low prices is to earn SILVER or better status at Northwest or Continental. They give free first class upgrades to their SILVER and better customers. Then you can buy the lowest price fares and still have a *chance* at first class. Your chance varies by route and by your status level. However, before you get status, you’ve got to fly 25,000 miles or 30 segments with that one airline. You *might* also get them to do a once-in-a-lifetime status match if you’ve got status with somebody else such as AA or UA.
Comment by Mark — April 6, 2008 @ 10:40 am
Another way to upgrade is to buy a ticket on US Air at rock bottom fare. Twenty-four hours before the flight, *IF* they still have first class seats available, they will upgrade you for $50 per 500 miles. So, say you are going 1300 miles, then the upgrade fee is $150. If you bought a ticket for $200 round trip and then paid another $300 for upgrade, that is $500. Of course, you are not guaranteed an upgrade at all and can only check on it 24-hours before the flight.
Of course, where you are going from/to also is a big factor in whether you can play these upgrade games. Would anyone really fly Denver-Houston-Vegas just to get a free upgrade on Continental when you could fly non-stop coach on Southwest/Frontier/United-Ted? And, it might be more expensive on Continental
I’m still looking for the free first class confirmed and guaranteed upgrade on a $200 fare. I’d probably do that, but I still like Southwest, who has no change fees!
Comment by Mark — April 6, 2008 @ 10:55 am
hi any one can help me i frequently fly fron aeroflot bcause i live in russia i frequently fly to india,london and america.how i can get business class ticket in economys price.
Comment by patel — July 12, 2008 @ 10:30 am