Originally Posted by
Fanjet
Now, UA could change their poilcy to just allow "Y" and "B" fares access to the Y+ cabin at the time of booking (as "B" is the booking code a PE ticket uses for the coach segment). And IIRC, that is how it was when UA first introduced Y+.
And it is still that way.
Originally Posted by
Fanjet
But doing it this way allows UA to generate more revenue by selling a Y+ fare outright using different fare basis codes, and for a lot less than a normal Y or B fare.
It shouldn't really be thought of as a B fare in the normal sense of full-fare. It's definitely not that. I suspect B was used because it has near-last-seat availability. It's possible that the people who designed it never considered the instant upgrade aspect of B fares -- or figured that most Premiers weren't going to be shopping for an E+-included fare anyway.