MCS fare < Main Cabin?!!
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
MCS fare < Main Cabin?!!
Pricing flights about 11 months out, the Main Cabin fare is $11 > MCS fare. If I was buying now this would be an easy choice, particularly as both fares are hundreds < AS.
#3
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
Not only that, but IIRC there are also reasons for pax to prefer an MC seat to an MCS seat (reference the "upgraded to middle class" comments...for plenty of folks an aisle MC seat would trump a middle seat in MCS, for example). IMHO bulkhead seats also have their own drawbacks and I try to avoid them outside of F.
These distortions can occur in "close-in" timeframes as well. I've seen more than a few flights where MCS had more seats open than MC seemed to (indeed, I've seen MC sell out with half of MCS available)...basically, as a rational actor VX would rather sell the MCS seat at somewhat less than the high-bucket MC seat so that it's sold rather than comped...and so that by not comping that seat and thus having an MC seat filled until the last minute they can in turn have a shot at selling an additional MC seat.
These distortions can occur in "close-in" timeframes as well. I've seen more than a few flights where MCS had more seats open than MC seemed to (indeed, I've seen MC sell out with half of MCS available)...basically, as a rational actor VX would rather sell the MCS seat at somewhat less than the high-bucket MC seat so that it's sold rather than comped...and so that by not comping that seat and thus having an MC seat filled until the last minute they can in turn have a shot at selling an additional MC seat.
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,424
VX is (I think) the only US airline that doesn't use a differential fare structure for premium cabins. This happens, and surprisingly frequently close-in. Sometimes F is less than MCS, too.