The upgradeable fare is half as much as a normal first class fare.
I like that Alaska shows not only
the upgradeable fare I want to book but also the cheapest fare and the normal first class fare.
With a companion fare, the difference between the cheapest and
the upgradeable fare is closer to ~ $ 140 per person.
Sometimes a discounted first class ticket is a better deal than an upgradeable main cabin ticket because
the upgradeable fare also has other benefits, like more flexible change policies.
Not exact matches
On UA you can upgrade internationally on all BUT the lowest four (or so)
fares...... versus on Delta where it is only the top economy
fares that are
upgradeable.
Valid only for travel on routings with a published
upgradeable Main Cabin
fare.
Upgrade Reservations and Ticketing:
Upgradeable Main Cabin ticket must be purchased according to the applicable
fare rules.
And if you find an itinerary you like where the
fare isn't
upgradeable immediately (the «U» is not present), you may be able to upgrade later.
I originally wrote this post using an example from Seattle to Maui that connected in San Jose because it was a quick and dirty search meant only to show the relative affordability of using a companion
fare on an
upgradeable itinerary.
As you can see, booking an
upgradeable itinerary with a companion
fare is actually cheaper than if we had booked the cheapest itinerary without the companion
fare.
all the other coach
fares will, at best, be
upgradeable to Premium Economy.
Let's compare prices now for the three
fare types discussed above — cheapest,
upgradeable, and first class — when we look at them with and without a companion
fare.
You can almost always find a cheaper or better itinerary somewhere else, though I did manage to find some
upgradeable non-stop
fares on a different date.
Be aware that the «
Upgradeable»
fare price will change depending on which type of upgrade you select, but you will also be able to see the regular, lowest main cabin price to the left.
The discuont economy «Q» class
fares are no longer
upgradeable to business class.
You can do this is by purchasing an
upgradeable seat ticket or premium economy
fare and then use your accumulated points / miles to get into first class / business class.