I keep on seeing information about programs that you can download to search for "bucket fares".Can someone explain to me in more detail what this means, also is this a way to find good fares better then regular travel websites?

thaknx

"Buckets" is a nickname/metaphor for "fare classes".

All airline tickets are not created equal: some cost more than others, and some have more restrictions than others (even if they're in the same cabin). The airline sells a certain amount of seats on each flight for a set combination of rules and prices, i.e. fare classes.

An FTer might be interested in booking flights in certain buckets to ensure that he can or will be upgraded, or will qualify for a mileage or status promotion. Or she might want to see how many seats of each type of fare have been sold to determine her chances for an upgrade or bump. Or if the price seems high, he might check how many seats in the higher buckets are left, to see if an airline might make more inventory available at the cheaper prices.

Suppose you see an attractive fare advertised for a particular route. You probably know from experience that the best fares are not available on all flights and sell out quickly. By figuring out what fare inventory designation, or "bucket," the airlines uses for that particular fare, you can then use one of these programs (often called "availability tools") to identify specific flights that have the fare available.

Armed with the right information, you also can use these programs to search for flights that have award or upgrade availability.

Or you might take that information that you are armed with to find out that all the buckets are at 0 and act accordingly. That is to say if you want to raise the possibility of receiving VDB (Voluntary Denied Boarding) compensation or to make it less likely to receive IDB (Involuntary Denied Boarding)

Not to be confused with a "bucket shop."

Are there any availability tools that check for awards or upgrades on SkyTeam partners?

Yes, there are. Using the KVS Availability Tool you can access award availability for a number of SkyTeam members, including:

AF: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=425973
OK: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...87#post3866355