LAX-SFO award: F < Y!
Mar 5, 2019, 12:39 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 493
LAX-SFO award: F < Y!
More data for our continuing (fractious?) discussion on AS F revenue management. As discussed a few times, revenue F is sometimes cheaper than Y, with conjecture that it is because of fare buckets and getting corporate travelers to purchase upgradeable fares. Now I'm seeing this for award F as well... which I have only seen a handful of times in 25+ years of playing this game and >8 million miles redeemed. What do you all think?
Mar 5, 2019, 12:53 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
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Mar 5, 2019, 1:13 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 1,445
Yep - have definitely seen this before. Still comes down to fare buckets/overall cabin inventory. Not a great redemption value of miles either way, but if you've got a lot to burn or cash fares are really high, it's an option.
Mar 5, 2019, 1:18 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
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I've seen this on AA (Saver Y is gone, AAnytime Y there, Saver F there, Saver F is cheapest). It's also not THAT uncommon on AS in my experience where W (saver coach) and N (20k coach middle tier) are gone, Z @ 30K (fully refundable coach) and A (saver F) @ 25K exists, cheapest redemption is thus 25K and F.
Ż\_(ツ)_/Ż
Ż\_(ツ)_/Ż
Last edited by eponymous_coward; Mar 5, 2019 at 1:25 pm
Mar 5, 2019, 1:24 pm
#5
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Join Date: Nov 2009
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I think this falls into the "goose laying golden eggs" category ... just accept that AS RM and IT aren't 100% optimized, enjoy the opportunity to take advantage, and DON'T bring it to their attention (which, to a degree, includes yammering on FT)
Mar 5, 2019, 1:34 pm
#6
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From some quick looks, this flight is offering A1 U0. Uh, OK?
Anyways, I don't think AS has their revenue management 100% optimized on pmVX routes. I would expect they are still collecting data (and also their F cabins on pmVX equipment aren't what they will eventually be).
Mar 5, 2019, 1:40 pm
#7
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17.5k vs $179 is about par ($.01/mi) ... short-haul F for 15k isn't uncommon a couple months out, but I have to say it's highly unusual inside T-48 hrs
Mar 5, 2019, 1:47 pm
#8
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Of course the U fare == the Y fare at this point, so any elite who buys the fare now will immediately clear into F when they open up U anyways as an immediate upgrade fare.
OMG, AS is allowing 1.72 CPM redemptions into F on a 50 minute flight! Alert the blogs!
Mar 5, 2019, 1:51 pm
#9
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uh, yeah, as I said ... :/
Mar 5, 2019, 2:00 pm
#10
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Heh. It's, uh, not just SFO-LAX or shorthaul. I'll leave the rest as an exercise to the reader as opposed to drawing arrows and making red circles. 
Mar 5, 2019, 8:45 pm
#11
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Join Date: Oct 2014
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More data for our continuing (fractious?) discussion on AS F revenue management. As discussed a few times, revenue F is sometimes cheaper than Y, with conjecture that it is because of fare buckets and getting corporate travelers to purchase upgradeable fares. Now I'm seeing this for award F as well... which I have only seen a handful of times in 25+ years of playing this game and >8 million miles redeemed. What do you all think?
Mar 21, 2019, 11:00 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
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Posts: 3,299
Just another data point, this for LAX-LAS on 3/26.
Saver X is available for $50, Main for $65 and P for $259 currently. Or you could 30k for that coach seat!
Saver X is available for $50, Main for $65 and P for $259 currently. Or you could 30k for that coach seat!