First class, anyone?

First class, anyone?
Posted January 3, 2008 at 1:00 pm ET by Tim Winship

Dining in first class (Photo: Stewart Cohen/Index Open)

Wanna sit up front?

Flying in first class is a dream for many, a reality for just a few.
Trebor Banstetter, writing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, explains
how those few came to occupy cushy first-class seats and avoid the
back-of-the-bus crush.

The good news for the many: In most cases, it wasn't by paying the
outlandish fares airlines publish for their first-class tickets.

Banstetter identifies two strategies for budget-constrained flyers
aspiring to the comfort of first class. "One is to look for an often-
obscure fare that airlines use to sell first-class seats at steep
discounts. The other is to harness the power of a frequent-flier plan
to upgrade coach tickets to first class."

The obscure fare in question is what's known as a Y-up, a coach fare
which entitles the ticketholder to fly in first class. To be sure,
these aren't the cheapest coach fares typically snagged by leisure
travelers purchasing two or more weeks in advance. But in many cases,
they are lower than the so-called walk-up coach fares paid by business
travelers who fly on a moment's notice and need tickets that can be
freely changed.

As an example, Banstetter cites fares for an American flight between
Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago. The first-class fare was $1,137; the
unrestricted coach fare was $847; and the Y-up fare was $433.

Finding Y-ups can be difficult. Some carriers have begun displaying
them on their websites, as have some online travel agencies. But it's
hit-or-miss. So the best approach may be to call the airline's
reservations center.

There are two variants of the frequent flyer upgrade strategy. For
most, redeeming miles to upgrade to first class from a coach ticket is
the more viable option. In most programs, upgrading to first from a
discounted coach fare requires 15,000 miles each way, 30,000 miles for
the round-trip.

For those who travel frequently, there's the elite upgrade approach.
Full-service carriers typically award entry level elite status to
customers who fly 25,000 miles, entitling them to upgrade certificates
and, in some cases, automatic upgrades if seats are available.

Bottom line: There's a price to pay for flying up front; but that
price may be more reasonable than you think.

http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/up-front-with-tim-winship/first-cla...anyone.