fsfsfsfs

Hi Experienced FTers,

I think this would be a simple question for anyone who understands the fare class system better than me.

I have a reservation held in Q all the way because I was preparing to ticket it with a VDB DBCFREE. Due to change in circumstances, I'm now looking to redeem a paper $ cert instead of using the DBC.

When I checked on .bomb, my itinerary got a couple hundred bucks more expensive because there is no longer anything available in Q or lower.

My question: If I cancel my existing Q reservation, would I see Q1 restored immediately (and therefore see a lower price), or would it disappear into the ether? I called 1k line, and they told me that it's not possible to convert the existing reservation to be ticketed by anything except DBCFREE.

Thanks!

N227UA

It would disappear into the ether.

It is not like putting an item back on the shelf out of your cart.

fsfsfsfs

That's what I figured, but thought I'd give it a whirl. Thanks for your answer.

mahasamatman

Maybe, maybe not. There's no real way to tell what bucket they'll put it back into.

Cheerfulflyer

Yes, I would second mahasamatman's response, but add that fares (from a particular bucket) are time sensitive. If Q fares on this market requires advance purchase (lets say X number of hours in advance), then even if Q fares do appear available they won't be up for sale. You can sometimes see L, S etc fares available but can't obtain them since the window of their sale is (sadly) gone.

N227UA

It can be true, but they are more likely to not put it back at all immediately unless the flight is imminent.

Since the OP mentioned that Q or anything below is gone, and the next cheapest is a couple hundred more expensive, the closest answer would be disappearing into the ether.

Note that one freed inventory would not be released on CRS instantly unless the flight departs soon. Just play with bomb, and you will see.

PHLGovFlyer

Agreed. I'd also look to see what the H, Q, and V buckets look like. If H is zero, or a small number (say 1 to 6) I think the odds of a new Q seat appearing would be pretty small. However, If its V9 the odds might be pretty good so long as you meet the advance purchase time frame for the Q fare.