Originally Posted by makfan

Welcome to FT!

YUP fares may be cheaper than purchased first class, so they are definitely worth investigating. You can find them on the 'search by price and schedule' grid, under the 'instant upgrade' column. The advantage is that you can confirm into first at the time of booking. Another advantage is that you will earn elite qualifying points at the 1.5 level, making it easier to reach elite status such as gold or platinum much faster (assuming you travel frequently).

The disadvantage, if I understand the fare rules correctly, is that you are only guaranteed coach class should there be a cancellation or delay that requires you to be rebooked onto alternate flights (this is what we commonly abbreviate IRROP, for irregular operations). There is not a lot of spare F inventory on the day of travel for handling rebooking or rerouting. You'll still get the 1.5 points for the flight, but not the bigger seat for you and your service companion.

Oh, SFO-JFK and LAX-JFK have some restrictions on the YUP fares. Not all flights are eligible.