Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
The way I look at it is to consider the difference between the W fare and the R fare. That's the cost of your insurance policy, should the GPU not clear. It's the same calculation (with different inputs) when you buy a W fare over the cheapest, simply to get the hope of your GPU clearing.
Yes, the appropriate measure is from the W, rather than cheapest economy. On SFO-NRT fares, the delta to R is currently around $350 RT.
Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
Yes you do get priority for clearance but not much - you still need PZ space.
It's a pretty substantial advantage - you'll be ahead of all 1Ks on any economy fare, including a Y or B.