Originally Posted by
FLYMSY
What is the difference between a P fare and a Z fare on a domestic 2 class plane? I thought Z was a discounted business fare.
That question cannot be answered in the abstract. It depends on the specific fare rules. They vary widely from route to route.
Originally Posted by
transportprof
Many P fares have an underlying economy fare code
That's true not just of P's but virtually all domestic front cabin fares offered by UA these days. The P's get the most discussion because they are so cheap compared to traditional F fares.
For long-haul international (BF routes), most, if not all, P's are true business class fares. On international routes, you may see a Z-UP that books into A.
with an automatic upgrade.
This description is to be avoided. Many UP and UPDI fares book into P. It is
not an upgrade, and referring to it as an upgrade may cause exactly the kind of rebooking problems we all want to avoid.
V-UP is a common underlying fare basis
V-UP refers to a type of fare not a fare basis.
While V-UPs were common a year or more ago, you are today more likely to see an UPDI fare with an S, T, or L basis.
The only way to know is to check the full fare rules BEFORE purchase.
The true fare basis can be seen both on the first confirmation e-mail that UA sends (prior to ticketing) and on the Saudia website.
In IRROPS, P fares that have an -UP basis will auto-rebook into economy. You have to talk your way back into the front cabin.
This is not true. It would be accurate to say that pax have occasionally run into difficulty with UP and UPDI fares during IRROPS. Most of the time everything works just fine.