Originally Posted by
cmculp
it is and that’s the point - nonsensical pricing.
It may be nonsensical from the passenger's perspective, but that doesn't mean there is not some form of logic behind it.
Originally Posted by
chemengin
What is the general logic here? Is it that if United does not expect to sell full fare J, they will open P or Z, which can also correlate to low cash upgrade offers?
Inventory is driven generally by supply/demand considerations - price high (J, C, D) when demand is high, drop the price (open Z, P) when demand is low. This calculus may be altered by other considerations.
Also, on domestic flights, UA typically wouldn't limit inventory to J unless they were down to one or two seats or it was an unusual high demand situation. You'll typically see C and probably D as well. The issue is availability of Z and P, especially P, which is deepest discount.