What is fare class OU?
 

When I checking in for Thursday's flight on Wednesday I was in C+ (I checked my seat just prior to checking in). After checking in I went back to take a look at where I was on the UG list and there was no link available to display the list. I then noticed I had just been upgraded which I thought was strange to begin with. And then I noticed the fare class was OU which I don't remember having seen before. I had originally been in Q.

OU is the fare class for complimentary upgrades on a flight where the front cabin is marketed as Business Class (often either an international flight or a continuation of one). As opposed to RU, which is the fare class for complimentary upgrades on a flight where the front cabin is marketed as First Class.

I thought OU is upgrade inventory reserved for instruments (miles/certificates), where as RU is inventory reserved for complimentary Medallion upgrades. Am I wrong?

RU and OU = medallion upgrade

RP and OP = instrument upgrade

OP and RP are what you're thinking of. The R or O is because some flights use JCDZ buckets while some use FGAP buckets. JCDZ flight free upgrades are OU and FGAP flight free upgrades are RU.

The way I remember that OP and RP are upgrades with instruments is to think to myself that P = pesos, namely SkyPesos, so it's upgrades with miles or other instruments.

That would explain it. It was a 757 with 4 rows of lie flat seats. I guess that qualifies as BC.

Why would a DM think getting an UG is strange? What's the route? :)

Sounds like you were on a 75S.

These are used domestically for transcon flights and some other re-positioning flights, as well as long-haul international flights served from non-hub locations.

The flat beds are actually irrelevant to it being called business class. There are plenty of flights that operate with standard domestic First Class configurations, yet are labeled as business class. The sole determining factor is whether the flight is international, or is a continuation of an international flight.

For example, today Delta operated flight 82 between MSY and CDG, with a stop in ATL. Between MSY and ATL, Flight 82 was operated by an MD-90. Between ATL and CDG, Flight 82 was operated by a 767-300ER with flat bed seats. The MSY-ATL portion was still labeled as business class because Delta marketed this as a "direct" flight MSY-CDG.

Because I've never been upgraded with Delta at the time of check in (I do still miss the "Would you like to be upgraded" message that NWA used to give). Especially these days. There were only 2 seats available at the time. Based on Delta's current business practices you don't think it is strange that they wouldn't have held onto that seat for 24 hours to see if they could sell it?

I'm somewhat resurrecting this thread to just post that today when I checked on the delta app, I noticed that for my flight on friday I got a first class upgrade. However, the seat map designates it as business class rather than FC and the ticket went from Q to OU. This is on an MD-88. I had checked online about OU class and general consensus is that OU was attributed to international flights/delta one seats, but I don't think this is the case here, given the aircraft.

The general consensus is anything but. Flights that continue as an international flight or are a continuation of an international flight are also coded as Business class up front, even if it's a domestic flight and operated by a domestic bird.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...not-first.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...les-award.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...lass-md88.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...ess-class.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...e-md-88-a.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...s-d-class.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...m-classes.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...j-md-88-a.html

Ah, thank you! When I was searching, I was using google, and the first couple hits I read were this thread, TravelCodex and TPG.

Bit surprised that they use MD-88's for international flights. TIL.

They don't use MD88s for international flights. They use them as the domestic flight portion of an international direct flight. When you fly direct you still have to changes planes in a hub generally. Since the flight number continues on they must use the same fare buckets for all portions, even the wholly domestic one.