Consolidated "UA 'Z' Fare (Discounted Business Class)" Discussion Thread [Merged]
 

If anyone could help me out I would appreciate it.

In reference to the fare codes and types for an international fare, I understand that a Z is a 'deeply discounted' business class fare. My question is how much of a discount is it? Say from LAX to SYD how much would a C seat cost under a C fare? Thanks!

When searching simply choose "fully refundable" from the drop down menu and you can see the difference.:)

It varies by market. I'm not sure if there is a published Z fare for LAX-SYD, but as an example I have purchased Z fares for $2400 all in JFK-SIN RT in the past when a C far was closer to $6K.

The SYD route is pretty hot, you're probably not going to find any great deals...I'd say $3k at the minimum.

So I've been looking at SFO-SYD in C and both seatcounter and UA's own expert mode shows Z availability (Z5 going there, Z9 going back) yet it will only price me D fare (at $10K or so) when I try to book lowest available business.

How does one get Z when it's showing available but won't... book it?

Btw, I've booked Z to Europe around $3K all-in when D-business was around $6.5K.

Pick up the phone and call, you are a 1k.

There is no Z fare for SFO-SYD. :p Booking class availability doesn't mean fare availability. A booking class exists for many purposes: through fare from other origins, corporate contracts, limited time sales, rebooking of previously purchased tickets, etc.

Inventory will show availability for fare buckets, even those that don't exist on a particular route. You should know that, you're a 1K.

:p

Indeed, there is no "Z" fare for travel from any US point I tested to SYD on UA.

Here are some other examples, though:

SFO-JFK, 7 Day advance purchase Z fare is $1808 round trip. CUA fare is $3830.

SFO-LHR, Z fare is $2703 (fare valid from Jun 01-Aug 31). D fare was $9876.

any good Z fares from ORD - LHR/europe?
 

There is no Z published right now on ORD-LHR, but the D is a steal at just over 5k.

For ORD-LHR

Sorry, Ari, but there is a Z fare from 1 July to 2 September, it's $3038.
From 1 June to 31 Aug, another one is listed at $3405. There is also a 14-day advance Z fare available now for $4334.

You're right. I'm looking in March. :duncecap:

Being a 1K has little to do with one's level of knowledge about how fare buckets work. The fact that booking codes are available, but cannot be purchased, is not obvious to the average ticket-buyer. I didn't know it until I started hanging out at FlyerTalk.

1) It was a joke, Lori_Q. :)

2) The person to whom it was directed also might not be an average ticket-buyer.