Jul 1, 2013, 9:03 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Revenue buckets
J - Full Fare Business
C - Discount Business
D - Discount Business
Z - Deep Discount Business
P - Deep Discount Business
O - Full Fare PremiumPlus (Premium Economy)
A - Discount PremiumPlus (Premium Economy)
R - Deep Discount PremiumPlus (Premium Economy)
Y - Full Fare Coach
B - Full Fare Coach
M - Discount Coach
E - Discount Coach
U - Discount Coach
H - Discount Coach
Q - Discount Coach
V - Discount Coach
W - Deep Discount Coach
S - Deep Discount Coach
T - Deep Discount Coach
L - Deep Discount Coach
K - Deep Discount Coach
G - Deep Discount Coach
N - Basic Economy
Saver Award Inventory
IN - Elite (Plat/1K/GS) Saver Business or 2-cabin First Award
I - Non-Elite and Low Elite Saver Business or 2-cabin First Award
XN - Elite Saver Coach Award. Also available to Chase Gateway, Explorer, Quest, and United Club Visa cardholders as an undocumented benefit
X - Non-Elite Saver Coach Award
"Everyday" Award Inventory
JN - Elite/CC Everyday Business or 2-cabin First Award (may be open to all MP members )
ZN - Non-Elite Everyday Business or 2-cabin First Award (tracks to the Z bucket) (not clear if still used for award travel). Also used for buy-up upgrade offered at check-in. May be a factor in Skip-the-Waitliist availability
ON - Everyday PremiumPlus (Premium Economy) Award
YN - Elite/CC Everyday Coach Award (may be open to all MP members)
HN - Non-Elite Everyday Coach Award (tracks to the H bucket) (not clear this is still used)
Upgrade Inventory
PN - Y/B/M 1K Instant Upgrades (CPU eligible routes only); All GS sponsored upgrades Y->J (CPU, PlusPoints, miles)
PZ - Upgrades to Polaris Business, United Business, or United First (excepting GS sponsored upgrades and 1K Instant Upgrades)
RN - Upgrades to Premium Plus
Points earning for all upgrades is based on the originally purchased fare. Also see below.
Upgrades Note that upgraded flights will post to your MileagePlus statement as Z(X) where the second letter (X) is the original booking class. The parenthetical letter defines the earning rate for the flight as points are earned based on the original booking class.
How to read inventory numbers:
Why does J8C5D3Z0P0 mean?
The zero inventory is easy to explain, UA is presently unwilling to sell tickets using inventory in that fare class.
Does J8C5D3 mean there are 16 seats for sale? No -- there are just 8 available seats.
Inventory in a fare class is not additive but the lower fare classes are subsets of the higher fare classes
If UA sells / upgrades 1 seat in the premium fare class, the Inventory will like change to J7C4D2.
The J inventory is the total number of seats for sale in business/first. While C,D,Z, P ... are the number of seats UA is willing to sell in those lower fare classes
Going back to J8C5D3Z0P0, if you want 4 seats on a single PNR, you will have to purchase C fare, as there isn't enough inventory for D fare for everyone on the PNR and everyone on a common PNR must have the same fare class / fare basis.
In some cases, if a lower cabin is oversold, UA will then block, remove from inventory in the higher cabin to protect against the oversale.
Note the largest number for a UA fare class in public displays is 9 (some airlines limit to just 4), this prevents revealing too much information to the competitors or the public.
Award and upgrade inventory are also subsets on their respective cabin inventory
Management of inventory and maximizing revenue is the role of Revenue Management (RM), a highly secretive, proprietary operation of the airlines -- So inventory changes (within the physical limitations of the aircraft) will be dynamic and can change without notice as determine by RM
Archive thread: Decoding the alphabet soup - fare buckets for UA {Archive}
E - Discount Coach
U - Discount Coach
H - Discount Coach
Q - Discount Coach
V - Discount Coach
W - Deep Discount Coach
S - Deep Discount Coach
T - Deep Discount Coach
L - Deep Discount Coach
K - Deep Discount Coach
G - Deep Discount Coach
N - Basic Economy
Saver Award Inventory
IN - Elite (Plat/1K/GS) Saver Business or 2-cabin First Award
I - Non-Elite and Low Elite Saver Business or 2-cabin First Award
XN - Elite Saver Coach Award. Also available to Chase Gateway, Explorer, Quest, and United Club Visa cardholders as an undocumented benefit
X - Non-Elite Saver Coach Award
"Everyday" Award Inventory
JN - Elite/CC Everyday Business or 2-cabin First Award (may be open to all MP members )
ZN - Non-Elite Everyday Business or 2-cabin First Award (tracks to the Z bucket) (not clear if still used for award travel). Also used for buy-up upgrade offered at check-in. May be a factor in Skip-the-Waitliist availability
ON - Everyday PremiumPlus (Premium Economy) Award
YN - Elite/CC Everyday Coach Award (may be open to all MP members)
HN - Non-Elite Everyday Coach Award (tracks to the H bucket) (not clear this is still used)
Upgrade Inventory
PN - Y/B/M 1K Instant Upgrades (CPU eligible routes only); All GS sponsored upgrades Y->J (CPU, PlusPoints, miles)
PZ - Upgrades to Polaris Business, United Business, or United First (excepting GS sponsored upgrades and 1K Instant Upgrades)
RN - Upgrades to Premium Plus
Points earning for all upgrades is based on the originally purchased fare. Also see below.
Upgrades Note that upgraded flights will post to your MileagePlus statement as Z(X) where the second letter (X) is the original booking class. The parenthetical letter defines the earning rate for the flight as points are earned based on the original booking class.
How to read inventory numbers:
Why does J8C5D3Z0P0 mean?
The zero inventory is easy to explain, UA is presently unwilling to sell tickets using inventory in that fare class.
Does J8C5D3 mean there are 16 seats for sale? No -- there are just 8 available seats.
Inventory in a fare class is not additive but the lower fare classes are subsets of the higher fare classes
If UA sells / upgrades 1 seat in the premium fare class, the Inventory will like change to J7C4D2.
The J inventory is the total number of seats for sale in business/first. While C,D,Z, P ... are the number of seats UA is willing to sell in those lower fare classes
Going back to J8C5D3Z0P0, if you want 4 seats on a single PNR, you will have to purchase C fare, as there isn't enough inventory for D fare for everyone on the PNR and everyone on a common PNR must have the same fare class / fare basis.
In some cases, if a lower cabin is oversold, UA will then block, remove from inventory in the higher cabin to protect against the oversale.
Note the largest number for a UA fare class in public displays is 9 (some airlines limit to just 4), this prevents revealing too much information to the competitors or the public.
Award and upgrade inventory are also subsets on their respective cabin inventory
Management of inventory and maximizing revenue is the role of Revenue Management (RM), a highly secretive, proprietary operation of the airlines -- So inventory changes (within the physical limitations of the aircraft) will be dynamic and can change without notice as determine by RM
Archive thread: Decoding the alphabet soup - fare buckets for UA {Archive}
Decoding the alphabet soup - fare buckets for UA
Aug 19, 2021, 7:35 pm
#91
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
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Posts: 66,857
Regardless, the fact the site has regularly full of errors has been discussed on FT since pre-merger, 10 years ago. It comes up every so often and it always seems to be years behind. I have a couple of times notified the site admin of those errors but after a couple of series of feedback, I gave up --- not going to spend my time helping a revenue-generating site. Have no idea if it does better with other airlines
More errors, further down the page
O - SaverPass 3-cabin First Award
ON - C to F on 3-cabin aircraft
PN - B/M-Up for Elites (tracks to the P bucket);
R - Upgrade to Business/Domestic F (except GS)
RN - This has recently been reported to be internal-use only, not elite upgrades.
Comments on mileage earning are back in the PQM days -- 5 years out of date.
Oct 7, 2021, 5:55 pm
#93
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Oct 8, 2021, 5:31 pm
#94
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SF
Programs: United-GOLD, AA
Posts: 142
Decoding Alphabet Soup WIKI
Can someone please get me a link to this WIKI, so I can see the Upgrade Inventory Codes?
What upgrade does "R" signify? Is there still an R/PZ and if so what inventory does this signify?
Thank you.
What upgrade does "R" signify? Is there still an R/PZ and if so what inventory does this signify?
Thank you.
Oct 8, 2021, 6:18 pm
#95
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston,TX
Programs: UA Plat, Mil Miler, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, National Exec. Elite, Hertz Prez Circle
Posts: 191
Oct 8, 2021, 8:50 pm
#96
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,857
This FT thread's wiki is the most accurate / up to date source of information (and yes I am one of the contributions -- but not the only one)
R is no longer used for upgrade inventory -- PZ is (PN is GS upgrade inventory)
RN (saver) & ON (standard) are the premium Plus upgrade inventory -- if the aircraft has Premium Plus
Changes to UA's Fare Classes (19-20 October 2018)
To see the full UA fare alphabet -- see the wiki
To see a flight's fare class inventory you will need Expert Mode Update: better upgrade visibility and opt-in to see fare bucket data.
There is no easy way to search for PZ space over a range of flights or days Ways to search for upgrade space at booking?
There is no way to predict for sure if a waitlist upgrade will clear, but various members discuss things the look for in selecting flight [Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Oct 8, 2021 at 8:56 pm
Oct 8, 2021, 9:01 pm
#97
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SF
Programs: United-GOLD, AA
Posts: 142
Thank you for the current WIKI (Decoding ABC soup...). Please confirm/clarify:
1. Can one upgrade from Econ>Bz? Or only Econ > Prem Plus? If "yes" then can one only upgrade to BZ/First from a PremPlus fare?
2. PZ: can a Premiere Gold upgrade from Econ > Bz/First with this inventory code? Is this inventory limited to specific fare types, if so what are they?
3. Will PZ inventory apply to a Refundable Econ Fare?
Appears UA has severely decreased upgrade inventory, yes?
1. Can one upgrade from Econ>Bz? Or only Econ > Prem Plus? If "yes" then can one only upgrade to BZ/First from a PremPlus fare?
2. PZ: can a Premiere Gold upgrade from Econ > Bz/First with this inventory code? Is this inventory limited to specific fare types, if so what are they?
3. Will PZ inventory apply to a Refundable Econ Fare?
Appears UA has severely decreased upgrade inventory, yes?
Oct 8, 2021, 9:27 pm
#98
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,857
Either -- not all aircraft have PremPlus
You can upgrade to Business / First from standard economy even if there is a PremPlus cabin
Yes from any paid fare -- except Basic economy can be upgraded.
Award flights can not be upgraded except by GS, by elites with certain Chase MP credit cards on CPU routes, and sometimes a cash offer at checkin.
yes
Depends on the route but there has been a long term trend to offer less upgrade space as UA prefers to sell the seat or upgrades for cash
Award flights can not be upgraded except by GS, by elites with certain Chase MP credit cards on CPU routes, and sometimes a cash offer at checkin.
yes
Depends on the route but there has been a long term trend to offer less upgrade space as UA prefers to sell the seat or upgrades for cash
Oct 12, 2021, 12:50 pm
#100
Join Date: Apr 2016
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Posts: 695
Oct 12, 2021, 2:38 pm
#101
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SF
Programs: United-GOLD, AA
Posts: 142
JN upgrade inventory: how do i grab it?
A bit of urgency, I just bought a cash bz ticket and I sure would prefer getting the upgrade?
Oct 12, 2021, 2:58 pm
#102
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,857
JN - Elite/CC Everyday Business or 2-cabin First Award
So yes for a humongous miles you can book a JN standard mileage award. But it is not an upgrade for an economy ticket.
Upgrade inventory and Mileage Awards are separate items / inventory.
I'm guessing you have been confused by the bad information on that poorly done other site. Yet another reason to delete that bookmark.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Oct 12, 2021 at 3:16 pm Reason: other site
Apr 5, 2022, 1:37 pm
#103
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 309
This may be a naive question.
I see talk about booking/upgrading or changing to different flight 'types' or classes signified by letters.
Is there a guide to what they mean?
And can you change to a different 'class' after booking? (And is it beneficial?)
I'm lost, sorry.
I see talk about booking/upgrading or changing to different flight 'types' or classes signified by letters.
Is there a guide to what they mean?
And can you change to a different 'class' after booking? (And is it beneficial?)
I'm lost, sorry.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 5, 2022 at 9:36 pm Reason: more to fare class list thread
Apr 5, 2022, 1:49 pm
#104
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
This may be a naive question.
I see talk about booking/upgrading or changing to different flight 'types' or classes signified by letters.
Is there a guide to what they mean?
And can you change to a different 'class' after booking? (And is it beneficial?)
I'm lost, sorry.
I see talk about booking/upgrading or changing to different flight 'types' or classes signified by letters.
Is there a guide to what they mean?
And can you change to a different 'class' after booking? (And is it beneficial?)
I'm lost, sorry.
When you upgrade you are changing to a higher class of service. There are a few different ways to upgrade. You may get an offer to pay cash for an upgrade that's immediately confirmed. You can pay miles + copay (cash) to upgrade, but if there isn't upgrade space available they will waitlist it and it may or may not clear. With no status, it's less likely to clear (people with status will be ahead of you on the waitlist) If it doesn't clear you will be fully refunded, but you end up flying in your originally purchased class of service, so you have to be ok with that. If you absolutely must fly business class, you should either buy business class (expensive!) or look for flights where upgrade space is available, buy the tickets, and upgrade immediately (possibly cheaper, but can be difficult to find)
For longer flights, PE can be affordable and is a lot more comfortable than economy; it may be a good middle ground
Apr 5, 2022, 9:35 pm
#105
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,857
Beneficial -- depends on what the objective is. For upgrades remember status is the 1st factor