Air Ticket fare

My fare category - what does it mean?

" The ultimate bucket listing experience: "Generally they relate to the kind of fare you pay - first class, company classes, etc.". There are many sub-classes within each fare category that allow airline companies to keep a close eye on what kind of ticket you have bought. Here is the International Air Transport Association (IATA) fare numbers listed.

But not all carriers exactly keep to this schedule, but most are quite close: In addition, extra code displays indicate seasonal, weekday, time and a whole range of other qualifyers. Obviously, there are two main ways in which these code affects your travel. Updating some fare categories is simpler than updating others. For example, United publishes a huge diagram describing which code can be used for which types of up-grades.

Every airliner has its own rules, so ask your airliner which code requires the most mileage and/or money to get to the front cab. A few economic fare categories, known as Y-UP and sometimes Q-UP, can be upgrade by anyone for free, but they are difficult to find and expensive (although they are much less expensive than premium fares).

At the other end of the scale, lower priced travellers are more prone to bumps. However, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT), "airlines put their own "boarding priorities", the order in which they trigger different passenger types in an overshoot scenario. Once a ticket is sold out and there are not enough people volunteering, some carriers will first encounter those with the cheapest fare.

Still others run into the last few passenger to board. "If you have purchased a great fare, such as a cost-price ticket, you are probably in the lower fare category and are therefore more prone to bumps. It is typical that the best tariffs are also the least expensive, with the most limitations and, as stated above, the least safety.

When you want to make a reservation in a higher fare category and are likely to receive a ticket that is more versatile and reimbursable than a discount ticket, most carriers will let you look for a fare category on the Advance Sale page.