Originally Posted by
United747
I buy the “fake” B fares on domestic trips and they’re usually displayed as a “B” fare but the underlying fare is usually “W” or something like that.
Those are the ones that are called “fake,” yes. Note that there’s no actual evidence, nor statement from UA, that they are not supposed to be eligible for Y/B/M upgrades.
Originally Posted by
leftysauce
R- fare is not "fake" B fare. It is eligible for YBM instant upgrade
Arguably, “R” is just as a fake as anything else. R is often much, much cheaper than a B fare on the same route.. IMO, R delegates into B because that was their brainstorm for how to provide E+ for free, not because it it’s supposed to be instant upgrade eligible.