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
Jan 18, 2020, 2:26 pm
#61
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: EWR
Programs: United GS, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 37
I guess I will try to push my upgrade through on the 31st (since it's 72 hours before the flight) as a last GS perk.. fingers crossed!
Feb 11, 2020, 9:31 am
#62
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: MP Gold, AAdvantage
Posts: 34
If PZ>0, can I use miles+copay to upgrade?
Looking at flying EWR-FCO and seeing PZ5 and PZ9 for a couple of my flight options. Does the fact that PZ>0 mean that I will be able to buy the economy ticket and then immediately use miles+copay to upgrade (assuming that PZ doesn't change immediately after booking)?
Or is it possible that only a paid upgrade will be offered and miles+copay could be waitlisted?
Thanks!
Or is it possible that only a paid upgrade will be offered and miles+copay could be waitlisted?
Thanks!
Feb 11, 2020, 9:49 am
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,414
Yes.
Feb 11, 2020, 12:14 pm
#64
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: STL
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 72
Looking at flying EWR-FCO and seeing PZ5 and PZ9 for a couple of my flight options. Does the fact that PZ>0 mean that I will be able to buy the economy ticket and then immediately use miles+copay to upgrade (assuming that PZ doesn't change immediately after booking)?
Or is it possible that only a paid upgrade will be offered and miles+copay could be waitlisted?
Thanks!
Or is it possible that only a paid upgrade will be offered and miles+copay could be waitlisted?
Thanks!
Feb 11, 2020, 12:32 pm
#65
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: 66,854
Feb 11, 2020, 7:33 pm
#66
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: STL
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 72
Well that is good to know. Too late for this trip, but will know for the next one. I used my +P to confirm my dad's upgrade. We needed specific dates so didn't want to sit on the PZ > 0.
Feb 16, 2020, 11:51 am
#67
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: STL
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 72
R fare MU upgrade cleared to ZR
I haven’t seen this mentioned before, so apologize if this is old info. I booked an R fare to BCN recently and cleared a MU award. It cleared into ZR when posted to my account. Not seen mention of that bucket anywhere. Of note on this flight, never saw PZ >0, but was checking as the bookings for biz appeared light. For this flight, I was around 5 on the list for Polaris with P>9. One day while checking on the reservation I saw the upgrade list with no names on it. Apparently they cleared the lot of us in a sweep.
Feb 16, 2020, 3:36 pm
#68
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,455
You cleared into PZ. ZR is not an inventory bucket, it's UA's code for the upgraded R fare. This is how all upgraded revenue tix post to your account, Z followed by original fare bucket.
Feb 24, 2020, 11:38 am
#69
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1P-1MM, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 3,930
It seems that the wiki is out-of-date based on the new dynamic awards. I think that the entries for I and IN no longer match what is in the Wiki (but I can't be sure). I'm gold and when searching C awards, I'm regularly seeing I and IN availability, so I'm thinking that IN is no longer "high-elite", but rather is simply a different level of dynamic award. Interestingly, I see some routings that have I on a partner, then IN on the UA flight (TATL). I don't know if there is enough information to really figure out what UA is doing yet.
From my TATL searches, it seems that I is used for partner awards and possibly lower price UA awards in C (only available when partner flights are involved on the routing), while IN is simply a different award bucket on UA flights, with multiple "price" points. I have seen routings where a partner flight (intra-europe) is in I, while the UA flights (TATL) is in IN. This prices higher than the normal partner (saver) award where everything is in I (both intra-europe and TATL). So, I would posit that I is the lowest award bucket, and only available in conjunction with a partner flight (although this may not be the case), and IN is the normal UA award bucket for C, again with multiple price points available.
From my TATL searches, it seems that I is used for partner awards and possibly lower price UA awards in C (only available when partner flights are involved on the routing), while IN is simply a different award bucket on UA flights, with multiple "price" points. I have seen routings where a partner flight (intra-europe) is in I, while the UA flights (TATL) is in IN. This prices higher than the normal partner (saver) award where everything is in I (both intra-europe and TATL). So, I would posit that I is the lowest award bucket, and only available in conjunction with a partner flight (although this may not be the case), and IN is the normal UA award bucket for C, again with multiple price points available.
Last edited by tods27; Feb 24, 2020 at 11:47 am
Feb 24, 2020, 11:43 am
#70
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,406
Feb 24, 2020, 11:49 am
#72
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,455
And qualified elite bookings will always default to IN.
I suspect it's fair to say that we don't yet have a completely grasp on how UA is handling award inventory with the introduction of dynamic pricing.
Feb 26, 2020, 7:46 am
#73
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1P-1MM, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 3,930
Didn't try to actually book it as I'm looking for partner level award and don't want to pay the higher rate that shows with the I/IN award.
This was my point. I think that we should simply update the Wiki to note that we aren't really sure on this for now.
I suspect it's fair to say that we don't yet have a completely grasp on how UA is handling award inventory with the introduction of dynamic pricing.
Last edited by tods27; Feb 26, 2020 at 8:11 am
Feb 26, 2020, 8:02 am
#74
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,455
That's not a mixed award. A mixed award is different cabins. As noted earlier, IN/I has always been the default on a mixed UA-partner itinerary for those who are eligible to book into IN.
Feb 26, 2020, 8:17 am
#75
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1P-1MM, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 3,930
Fixed it to remove "mixed". Either way, the I/IN award was a higher rate than I wanted to pay, so I didn't try to book it. There is still a question as to why it is showing me, a Gold member, the I/IN award. It may be that this is just an error in the award search. I have seen (crappy) routings that show all I, and those have been a lower amount of miles than those that include IN on UA. Given that, in the past, I wouldn't see the IN space, I don't know if those were the same "price".