Bleuprince16

1. I dont really understand this fare and not even sure how to ticket this, maybe someone smart can help. Accordingly the fare code is Y. EK YRTSE7 but as you can see the Emirates flights are somehow in F, Frist Class. Does this fare really exist ?

2. Same dates, same EK flight from ARN-CAN First Class A RT costs €7k. But once you add a domestic flight to Shanghai, the total price drops by €3k to only €4k. This is not FD, the YQ remains the same, different fare code.

cfischer

Looks like a mapping error. Don't think this is available. I don't see any Y fare on EK mapping to F.

ranskis

Not a mapping error, but rather a fare differential opportunity.

Full Flex interlinable unrestricted EK Y fare here is YRTSE7 which is published at 25345 SEK round trip for STO SHA but 120744 SEK for STO CAN (11000 EUR + taxes return for Y!)
There is most likely an EK F fare STO CAN that is "unrestricted enough" to be used as a fare differential, on part of the itinerary ARN PVG, so ARN DXB CAN subsection, and that is cheaper than the YRTSE7 fare on ARN CAN, meaning a 0 differential applied as long as you don't have any stopover and you keep one Y segment in each direction.

Problem with those: they are very hard to get ticketed, there are quite a few obscure rules (you can only use a differential on "similar fares" usually unrestricted, etc.) and you need a great travel agent that knows these old fashioned ticketing tricks and that is willing to take the risk of getting an ADM/invoice from EK in case he makes a mistake. Also ITA Matrix is not 100% reliable for this kind of cases, it might use an F fare STO CAN for the differential that it should not use. The fully unrestricted STO CAN FRTSE7 fare could certainly be used for the differential but is published at 257250 SEK round trip.

I don't have expertflyer, but a listing of EK ARN CAN F fares would be interesting to analyse this further.

Keter

Except that there is no differential trace in the fare calculation line. Should have been shown as zero priced, am I wrong here? Looks more like a coding bug to me or some general CoC exception that was not intended to use here to me.

maxvor

I think it is differential. I had a similar one from EK a few years ago, ITA wasn't showing anything, but ticket receipt from EK website did. Will try to dig it somewhere deep in my mails. Could be different construction all together of course

ranskis

if you check ARN PVG via via HKG one way, the differential is applied from YOWSE7 fare, and is the difference between ARN HKG FOOWFSE1 and YOWSE7 at 2664.27 NUC.
On ARN CAN, FOOWFSE1 is 4257.15 NUC whereas YOWSE7 is 8031.49 NUC, hence the 0 differential. Not sure if it should appear on the fare calculation (you don't get S0.00 for free stopovers usually) but that is certainly the logic behind it. Would this F fare really qualify for a differential, or is it an ITA bug, I don't know.

Keter

BTW no (need to) display of zero differential in some (or all) GDSs will explain also many DL and LA itineraries weirdly priced.
Most airlines prohibit the use of differentials (to avoid surprises like this one).

FrankTalk

Ranksis is 100% correct here, it's a 0.00 fare differential.

cfischer

Interesting ... is this bookable? I found no sensible way last night

Keter

I noticed that partial zero differentials are shown on Matrix, looks like only if all checks are zero then nothing is shown at all.
I also finally got how one of my old mistake fares was priced thanks to this discussion.

ChocolateFactory

Is there a chance to get this even cheaper, by choosing a different destination, for example?

ranskis

You need to find the cheapest EK Y*****7 fare from Europe to China that you can route via CAN, then it should theoretically work. However Y is usually not cheap, and the ***7 based on MPM and interlinable is also rarely cheap.
However, assuming you find a cheap qualifying Y******7 fare, to book it online, it will either book everything in economy or everything in business/first usually, but differential logic is that part of the itinerary needs to be taken in the lower class of travel otherwise the through fare must be applied, therefore good luck!

maxvor

Based on my other fare like this, long gone, it's not only Y fares that are full flex. Mine was R in fact. Searching such is no easy though, and booking even more complex. And not even talking about dealing with disruptions in case of schedule change.

ranskis

The "deal" comes from the abnormally high YRTSE7 or YOWSE7 fare on ARN CAN and the quite abnormally low ARN SHA, therefore you need to stick to these fares. If there was a cheap M***** fare ARN SHA registered as economy unrestricted, if it is also cheap on ARN CAN, you need to pay for the difference M to F as well, hence no deal. And in any case, even if the differential is zero, the YQ difference must still be paid in the range of 650 EUR each way.

Keter

Sadly Expertflyer still doesn't offer a functionality to see fare and routing rules when multiple fares with same fare basis are filed. Not their priority development...
Fare rules can be obtained via Matrix, but routing rules cannot. And the 'industry fare type' is not available elsewhere.