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Last minute RFS availability released - what (revenue) fare bucket does it come from?

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Last minute RFS availability released - what (revenue) fare bucket does it come from?

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Old Jan 23, 2018, 2:17 pm
  #1  
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Last minute RFS availability released - what (revenue) fare bucket does it come from?

I've observed that BA will often release additional RFS seats on short haul European Y and J flights in the days before the flights (whereas a month before there may be no RFS seats available).

I assume there's no fixed rule about this but does anyone have any sense of which Y (revenue) fare buckets these come from? I'm looking at expert flyer and seeing multiple revenue seats available in N, Q and S buckets but no Y RFS available. If this remains are they likely to make additional seats available or do I need a different fare bucket? (I know the RFS fare bucket is different I'm just trying to predict whether there will be anything last minute).

hope this makes sense!
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Old Jan 23, 2018, 3:16 pm
  #2  
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Originally Posted by smit0847
I assume there's no fixed rule about this but does anyone have any sense of which Y (revenue) fare buckets these come from? I'm looking at expert flyer and seeing multiple revenue seats available in N, Q and S buckets but no Y RFS available. If this remains are they likely to make additional seats available or do I need a different fare bucket? (I know the RFS fare bucket is different I'm just trying to predict whether there will be anything last minute).
The seats don't "come from" any of the cash booking classes. It's simply a question of whether BA is prepared to put some seats into X class, given how the flight is selling and taking into account other revenue management considerations.

Fundamentally, you're asking the same question as whether BA will put some seats into O class given that there are seats available in Q class.

However, if you like reading tea leaves, it seems that G class may be a better one to watch than N, S, Q or O classes.
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Globaliser is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2018, 3:20 pm
  #3  
 
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Agree with Globaliser, but note also that BA Golds get additional award availability in V class. That is to say, if V class is available for revenue fares, award seats are available to Gold. That inventory is entirely separate to the standard award inventory described above which is in its own separate bucket.
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Old Jan 24, 2018, 12:25 pm
  #4  
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Originally Posted by Ldnn1
Agree with Globaliser, but note also that BA Golds get additional award availability in V class. That is to say, if V class is available for revenue fares, award seats are available to Gold. That inventory is entirely separate to the standard award inventory described above which is in its own separate bucket.
thanks. I'm BA Silver - assume nothing extra for me?
smit0847 is offline  
Old Jan 24, 2018, 12:31 pm
  #5  
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Originally Posted by smit0847
thanks. I'm BA Silver - assume nothing extra for me?
No soup for you.

But the V availability is most powerful 4 to 1 weeks before departure, the shorthaul availability switches on around 3 days before departure and is available to all Avios bookers. V is often 0 at this point anyway.
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Old Jan 24, 2018, 1:14 pm
  #6  
 
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Ive noticed similar patterns on long haul services.

Some read inventory seems to be release about a week ahead of time, even on LON-SYD. Oddly I've not seen much on SIN-SYD, but plenty on SYD-SIN and SIN-LHR. So if you are prepared to be flexible or book last minute, then things can work out well.

The other option, if you are Cash or Avios rich is to book something you can live with and then cancel if your preferred routing/destination comes up.
BrianDromey is offline  


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