Originally Posted by
therossinator
I was under the assumption that in general Y fares are inherently unrestricted. Admittedly I'm not a seasoned vet when it comes to this stuff and am always learning something new.
So specifically I was looking at GUM to DPS on 25 Aug, one way. The cheapest flight I see on United is in itinerary with 7:20PM departure, 3:15PM arrival (UA183, BR262, and BR255)
Lowest economy is $708 in W, B, and B fares respectively
Flexible is $1206 in B, B, and B
If you advanced search for Y fare you find that it's $1368 in Y, Y, and Y
If you advanced search for Unrestricted economy, the search says that it's not available
I had thought that "no restrictions" be built into Y fare as it it the most expensive economy fare code. When I called up United they said that there would be a $50 fee to change or cancel the EVA flights despite being displayed as a Y fare code.
Alternatively there is a 6:50PM departure, 3:15PM arrival (UA159, BR828, and BR255)
Unrestricted is offered at $2107 in Y (unrestricted)
Regular Y for all flights is offered at $1473
UA was correct. The first fare that you are seeing is a combination of a one-way UA fare from GUM to MNL (Y1RMA) and a one-way BR fare from MNL to DPS (YOWPH). The BR fare has a $50 refund fee. (Incidentally, so does their business class fare).
In theory, you should be able to ticket this using the YY fare (generic IATA), which will be unrestricted, for several hundred dollars more. However, you'd probably need an experienced travel agent to book it for you. (Incidentally, apparently YY fares are going away as of 10/31).
On your alternative flight, you must have a non-GUM address on your credit card, because you can't buy the $1473 fare in GUM. It's using a BR fare with a 950 HKD refund fee that's only available for purchase in Area 1 plus a small set of countries in southeast Asia and Europe. The expensive are is actually using the YY fare (which makes me wonder why United.com could use the YY fare in one instance but not in another).
In practice, though, you may rather have a conversation with your employer about its principles. You can buy a nonrefundable ticket on the route through MNL for $768, with a $100 change fee. Are you cancelling half of your flights?