Maybe those college students found good prices on F tickets. When my partner and I booked travel a few months ago for Thanksgiving weekend, we found one business saver ticket and no economy saver tickets. Thus we purchased one F seat on points and one Y seat for cash. Several other times I've seen the cash price for F be less than a 50% premium over Y cash. Factor in the ancillary fees airlines hit you with nowadays in Y if you're not an elite (checked bags, preferred seats) and F for 50% more can really be worth it.