What fare class is used for EUA? If that didn't make sense, here's the context...

I know how to check fare class availability. What I don't know is what fare classes have to be available in order for there to be room for EUAs.

And if there's a sticky on this someplace, I promise to read it if you point me to it. But searching this forum for "upgrade" returns about a billion and six hits.

FLight 1: P3 F1 Y9 B9 M9 H0 Q0 V0 L0 T0 K0
Flight 2: P6 F0 Y9 B9 M9 H0 Q0 V0 L0 T0 K0

I've had EUA booked into R and gate lottery upgrades into F from my experience. Is that right?

I am no expert but I believe "I" or "U" for int flights and "R" for domestic are the most common. There is a lot of reading here and I think I saw "A" also can be an upgrade seat.

I would say with these fare buckets you stand little chance of an EUA. F comes out of P and R comes out of F so I've been told.

You could be in for a BF upgrade though.

>>>>I am no expert but I believe "I" or "U" for int flights and "R" for domestic are the most common. There is a lot of reading here and I think I saw "A" also can be an upgrade seat.

And you need a search engine that reflects those fare classes. The Gold/Plat levels of the KVS tool does that (an easier thing to search for on FlyerTalk), and I think a subscription to Expert Flyer does as well.

Thanks.

I have the platinum edition of KVS. swei0009, if you want to give me the flight, day and time I can post the results. I am a total idiot with KVS and have not had time to mess around with it but I can put the results up here.

Just looking at those numbers again: if F is zeroed out on one flight, and the other is P3F1, chances are about 100% that both flights have no R availability for upgrades. It's very unlikely that there is R space if there are 4 or fewer F seats a couple days or more out.

And if that is the case, then if you try to pull the flights up in KVS (the Worldspan/Awards option) or ExpertFlyer, then the flights will not even show up on the display.

Sorry, I did not see that F was zeroed.

>>>>F zeroed

Nothing to be sorry about--it's still worth a look just for the sport

But if the flights aren't even there, the absence of any R space on the itinerary would explain it (it's odd that the ugrade searches just don't show the flights zeroed as they do for other classes).

Thanks for pitching in for the OP!

thanks all....

here are the flights:

DEC 27 - NWA 1028
DEC 27 - NWA 440
DEC 28 - NWA 437
DEC 28 - NWA 1483

Last minute MR to make plat :-) I am not counting on upgrades, but I do have exit rows where I could get 'em.

I know I have to check the availability, but when I was looking at it, I had no idea what the result meant. So any help figuring that out is much appreciated. Teach me to fish, eh?

Just for sport below is what KVS shows. There is still plenty of space in first and in coach, so far in the standard P and F categories--lots more on KVS than what your original quote showed (?); an upgrade is a definite possibility, but it looks more likely to be 'battlefield' than EUA, since there is no 'R' upgrade space showing available at all--it may just be too precious to release for this holiday period, especially from Missoula.

If you fly often, it's worth subscribing to KVS--just for sport!

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On KVS the flights MSO-TPA-MSO 27/28dec on NW standard fare classes on KVS are a lot better than what you originally showed:

27dec MSO-MSP NW1028 P6 F6 Y9 B9
27dec MSP-TPA NW 440 P9 F6 Y9 B9
28dec TPA-MSP NW 437 P9 F5 Y9 B0
28dec MSP-MSO NW 1483 P9 F4 Y9 B0

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On KVS the flights MSO-TPA-MSO 27/28dec using the more specialized upgrade/award fare class function for R space:

27dec MSO-MSP NW1028
27dec MSP-TPA NW 440
"no award seat is available for the date you selected"

28dec TPA-MSP NW
28dec MSP-MSO NW
"no award seat is available for the date you selected"

Not to threadjack, but I'd like to ask a question on here as well.

I've got a flight DTW-MSY on the 21st, there's plenty of availability (P9 F7 Y9 B9), and my upgrade hasn't cleared yet. Any specific reason why I wouldn't have been upgraded yet? My FF number's on the reservation, and I've been GE for a year now, so there aren't any "but you made the reservation before you became elite" issues.

Sorry, very little experience with EUAs because I don't often fly domestically.

thanks, Spinz! Your explanation makes sense. And I'll subscribe to KVS, that ought to be worth some grins.

As for EUA out of MSO, I have found that most of the time, during "holiday travel" periods, I do not get my EUA, but will get upgraded at OLCI a few hours before the flight, or battle field upgrade at the gate. My personal theory is that since there are so few NWA flights in/out of MSO this time of year, they hold the seats hoping to nail people for the extra cost.

>>>>I've got a flight DTW-MSY on the 21st, there's plenty of availability (P9 F7 Y9 B9), and my upgrade hasn't cleared yet.

I just looked and also see P9 F7 on the nonstop. But no R space (or W award space) is available on ANY connection to MSY that day.

Just to make sure the system isn't bonkers I also looked at DTW-CMH, where there were a couple W seats on a couple flights that day, and DTW-ORD where there was W space on 4 flights and R space on 3 flights. So it looks pretty much like they are holding back R to MSY--but that the chances of getting upgraded the morning of that flight (or at the gate) are really good.

I've been upgraded 14/46 times on domestic flights. All but the last 4 segments were booked in "F." The 4 most recent segments were booked in "R"