Is this a fare break?
 

EWR - SFO in P class
SFO - LAX in Y class

This was sold on the app and the website as a single ticket.

According to ITA Matrix, it's one fare: VAP30UPN

Pulled up fare routing on Expert Flyer (not sure if this helps at all):
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f652b92de7.png

So...

1. Is this itinerary considered a fare break? If it is, does this mean I can't SDC?
2. If the fare is VAP30UPN, is this a V class fare? If so, why are the ticketed segments P and Y?

1. If that's the fare you're actually on, there's no fare break. However, it can be challenging to SDC -- on the app, anyway -- when you're on two different booking designators (P and Y), fare break or otherwise.

2. It's not a V class fare. It's a P class fare. Do they happen to be running a one-cabin airplane from SFO to LAX that day?

Okay that's what I thought until I read this thread and another thread. But it looks like they've come to the consensus that P-UPDI is still considered P.

The SFO-LAX flight has two cabins, but currently showing: J9 JN9 C6 D1 Z0 ZN0 P0 PN0 PZ0. It's an A320.

You should not have been able to buy the fare that you quoted on that flight, if that's the inventory you're seeing.

Are you sure about the fare? United is now listing fare rules in the itinerary details. What fare does it show there?

Ef booking class says

I've never seen the website do this, except when the second flight didn't have an F cabin. Otherwise, it tends to use married inventory, and it wouldn't have sold the P at all. It would have kicked the whole flight up to a higher fare.

Is this what [MENTION=583846]paperwastage[/MENTION] was referring to?

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b2b60b53a2.png

This. It is a legal routing, etc., but it would be very unusual for united.com to offer it because of the way that married segment logic is implemented on united.com. Third party sites and travel agents would have a bit easier time booking it, and I suspect that Hipmunk could force it through on united.com too if you entered from there.

I dunno if this is a sign that the website has gotten smarter, because IMO it's certainly better to capture the sale right away rather than lose it over the lack of P on the much-shorter segment.

I'm not sure if I understand what you are saying. Methinks UA would much rather try to get someone to buy a c/d/j fare over z and p, which was probably available for a much higher cost.

By this logic, united.com would only show J fares and never show P fares even if fares/inventory existed.

In general the website lists the cheapest option available given the search criteria, because United knows (some of) its customers are price-sensitive and they will sell more tickets if they show the cheaper price.

i think this happens because there is zero business availability in any bucket for that leg (though not in OP's case)

so the engine picked the next available thing - one leg in business, one leg in economy. can even do EWR-SFO Y, SFO-LAX J. expensive ticket

you can see it on UA website, though there are big red words saying "mixed cabin" and its usually ranked below the other nonstop/non-mixed cabin itinerary

EWR-LAX (with 1 stop), 9/9 monday. EWR-IAH is on an airbus A319 as Y, IAH-LAX is on a 737-900 as P

usually it's NOT listed on the fare rules, but you can almost always see it in EF fare info (it's the third "C" icon" when you search for fare info)

Sorry, yes, that's the other case I've seen it. I still can't explain why it would appear in the case the OP listed.

OP: If that is actually the fare you booked, and you find a knowledgeable agent who knows how to do it, you're eligible to waitlist for a P seat on the short leg. It may actually be worth your time to try to do that, because if the waitlist clears, it should make SDC more straightforward.

Is there a trick to finding a knowledgeable agent? Or should I just wait until P availability shows up on SFO-LAX and ask an agent if it’s possible to “waitlist” then?

Not really; just be polite and don't escalate, so you don't get a negative comment in your PNR, as you may need to HUCA a couple of times. I'd just say something like "I tried to buy a business class ticket, but it dumped me into economy on the last segment. I was wondering if I could waitlist in case space opens."

If P does open, don't ask about waitlisting -- just say "I have a P class ticket and I saw that P inventory opened up, so I was wondering if I could be placed into it."