YCA (Government Fares) Upgrades?
 

My understanding is that YCA (government fares) are being counted as full fare "Y" fares for the upgrade window (meaning a government worker with Silver status beats everyone except a GS).

I have a IAD to TPA that I just booked on AA, since upgrades on that route are almost impossible with all the government traffic. Great if you work for the government - lousy for the rest of us.

Anyone know if this is going to be PMUA's standard policy?

I don't think the PMUA policies matter much at all any more. ;)

The stated policy of the company is that the Y fares - government or otherwise - get the Y-Up benefit.

As a fellow fed who also flies full fare of our DC airports (per our policy to have fully refundable tickets), you should be aware of "optics" about upgrading and seriously consider whether you'd be known as a gov't official on the flight and (You can thank the GSA and SS right now for mucking perception of federal employees further up).

I can imagine a world where people use sUA = UA, sCO = CO, and PMUA = post-merger UA :( :( :(

And post-merger UA = COdbaUA

You must be working for a pretty rich federal agency, because in my agency, we no longer fly on fully refundable Y fares unless we are very sure there will be no changes. Our booking engine defaults to the cheapest penalty fare available, and if we don't take it, we better be able to justify it.

That said, when we were flying refundable tickets, I upgraded without shame. :D

Sorry I meant post merger (I guess COdbaUA).

I guess this is here to stay. Tough because anything transcon to/from IAD was always tough, and as a 1K if I ever made it, it was last or next to last on the list. I'm sure this will push me down a couple of spots per trans-con flight.

Also pretty much eliminates IAD-TPA, especially on the A319.

I recently missed IAD-TPA on a 757. On a Wednesday. As a 1K on a V-Fare. I blame Gov YCA's for at least part of the failure.

If I am not mistaken though, on transcons, isn't the list first sorted by status, then fare? So a Silver with a Y fare would still be lower on the list, correct? Or is the list still sorted by fare first?

It is a hybrid of sorts, though transcons aren't particularly different other than the p.s. flights.

Any elite on a Y or B fare is going to trump a 1K on an E fare, for example, but once you get away from the Y/B fares status matters more than fare basis.

I thought all contract fares were refundable. There are capacity controlled and last-seat (YCA). At least that's what we see. Buying non-refundables means a non-contract fare and, technically, is contrary to the GSA fare program.

Oops, I meant transatlantic - not transcon. For overseas, I am under the impression that status is going to come first still, as the complementary upgrade system is different. Is that correct?

What complementary upgrade system is there for TATLs? None of which I am aware.

Sorry, didn't mean that there was a complementary upgrade system for overseas, just that the upgrade waitlist was different...imagine what THAT waitlist would look like!!!

For non-CPU routes the upgrade priority is status then fare then date of request.