Z fare question
 

I am about to book a domestic one way ticket in Z class (a discounted first class fare). Is this a "coach fare" with a free upgrade (what used to be called a Y-up fare -- though I am not sure if that term is still used)?

The only reason it matters to me is our corporate travel policy discourages buying first class tickets. But a "coach fare" with a free upgrade is fine.

Thanks.

It is a first/business (discounted) fare.

Z,P are not coach fares.
Y,B is what you want with status for the -ups. M if 1K.

Thanks. Is it possible that the Z fare might be lower than the Y or B (or M) fare? Is there an easy way for me to check that, for my particular flight? (That should be sufficient for my travel policy purposes: "it is not a coach fare with a free upgrade, but it is lower than a coach fare with a free upgrade").

It's almost a certainty that this will be cheaper than a Y fare, although it will have considerably more restrictions. You can search for a Y fare by using Advanced Search and entering the Y fare code.

I'm not sure your interpretation of the travel policy is going to mesh with that of whomever is approving your expenses, though. You're basically comparing the cheapest first class fare to the most expensive coach fare.

To answer the question you actually asked, unless you're flying on a p.s. route (EWR-LAX/SFO, BOS-SFO, or vice versa), the Z fare is likely a differentially-priced fare with a corresponding underlying economy fare. (The first letter of the fare basis is unlikely to be 'Z'). However, UA has changed the way that they code those fares so that they'll look more like 'true' first class fares now.