Originally Posted by andrewwm

I think "give away" is a bit strong. On most of the domestic routes I fly, Y/B is about the same price or only a little cheaper than the lowest F bucket. If they're managing to get more people to book those fares by promising them F upgrades, that's almost like selling an A fare or similar.

As you note, international Y fares are usually substantially cheaper than the cheapest fully refundable/changeable C fare.