Originally Posted by
nigos
Z fares, especially on United - are very restrictive and changes normally require a hefty penalty charge - often several hundreds of dollars. Compared to a fully changeable fare, Z fares are discounted by as much as 2/3rds.
That may well be true of some (or most) Z fares, but this one definitely did not have any change penalties associated with it. I checked that out carefully before buying the ticket