Originally Posted by
flyerCO
This hasn't been true in a bit. These are now labeled as First Class fares. However some agents still try and play by old rules.
Originally Posted by
appleguru
This really isn't true anymore. P is just as much a First Class fare as F is. OP, you should not feel even a little worried about buying a P fare; your chances of getting bumped to coach are essentially 0.
There is no such thing as a published P fare there is P inventory. The fares that pull from the P inventory are economy based fares with an adder that represents an instant upgrade. Be careful not to confuse the fare basis with the inventory bucket. P is an inventory bucket but not a fare basis.
Here is an example: MSP-LAX has a published E based fare that requires both E inventory and P inventory and books into the F cabin. The fare code is E0NA0FB. Note this isn't a P fare its an E fare with an instant upgrade.
The problem people run into is that sometimes agents see the fare code and assume that, since it does not start with F, C, or J that it's not a front cabin fare and put the passenger in the back.