Originally Posted by
mke9499
It appears that Classic is no longer a flat $25 surcharge over Economy; it apparently depends on the route. The fare difference does not appear to be linked to availability, nor distance.
Many routes now have a $30 increase over Economy, some have a $10-$20 difference, and a few still have the $25 additional cost above Economy.
All routes checked are direct flights.
Is this somehow related to the introduction of SELECT seating or just another way to increase revenue?
I would bet that like STRETCH, it is tied to the historical uptake on a given route. A route that has a lot of Classic demand might be higher while a route with little demand might be skewed lower. Definitely just another way to earn more revenue if they can get more people buying Classic. They might lose a little upfront versus someone who gets economy and checks bags, but if they can introduce them to Classic for only $10 and they like it next time it might be $15. It also forces the person to buy on the website which saves them money versus a listing on GDS.