Google Flights is very useful for looking at patterns here. Discount FC is pretty much non-existent from the end of November through mid-Feb. Then, starting around Feb. 18, the heavily discounted FC inventory is back until early May when it again goes AWOL for the remainder of the schedule. As with all inventory availability, it could change back at any moment.
Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
There is or was a sale on discounted FC domestic flights recently. Some people were reporting around $200 each way, for example to Florida, within the last week. Could all of the G and A class inventory be gone and people are just seeing a few seats left at full F?
Originally Posted by
javabytes
Ok, had a chance to take a look. /WNUP fares are gone starting November 22 and on. This seems to be the case regardless of route.
Old fashioned UP fares i.e. YUP or QA00UPNA still exist.
As MSPecon mentioned, there were some excellent XUP fare sales for a lot of routes.
Here are the date restriction rules from those fares:
VALID FOR TRAVEL COMMENCING ON EACH TRIP ON/AFTER
22NOV 14. TRAVEL ON THIS FARE COMPONENT MUST COMMENCE BY
MIDNIGHT ON 17FEB 15.
TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON/BEFORE 03NOV 14
So all of those fares disappeared on Monday night as scheduled.
As javabytes found, UP fares go up on Nov 22, which is the beginning of the travel period for this now expired sale. And from LBJ, fares drop on Feb 18, which is exactly the day after the travel period ends.
It all fits together. The questions are whether the expired sale will be replaced with another and at what prices.