Where did the Z FARES go?

jerseyfinn

Senior
Mar 19, 2006
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NJ USA
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First off, happy new year to all you US folks.

OK. I'm a long-time, long-suffering US pax who's a little frustrated at the moment.

I know how to plan and how to ferret out the good fares. I'm sitting here trying to plan our usual summer trip to PHL-MAD. We actually do this route in the summer and fall and we also try to sneak in a PHL-BCN each year as well since US initiates direct service to that wonderful destination. We like to pick up a Z fare for one of those trips.It makes the journey easier, and though more expensive, the Z fare doesn't break the bank. Since I'm dropping from CP to Gold (losing faith in Tempe folks ) I know from experience that UG chances are slim on these flights at the times we fly. My alternative plan to Envoy via Z is coach on the cheap. I'm following my usual booking procedure and timing from years past but I'm hittinig a wall this year.

I can't find a Z fare for PHL-MAD in July. This despite the Sabre tool indicating Z6 for our date of travel ( and the seat map is wide open save for the row 1 and award seats ). The discount Envoy tool on the US web site only pulls up those $5700 DXORY fares. Some more digging with the Sabre-fares tool reveals that US has not even listed any 2008 Z fares at all on the MAD or BCN routes ( I do find Zs for LGW, LHR, SNN, and DUB ).

I guess my first question is what is going on? Has Tempe opted to take Z off of the table on certain route and go for the bucks because demand might fill the seats?

I'm also noticing that at this stage, Tempe is only offering the more costly H & M coach fares. Of course the cabin is wide open just like years past. The only thing missing are the cheaper fares that Tempe touts. So it's kind of obvious to me that Tempe is gonna hold back a while. But how many hoops do I have to jump through to buy a seat? If Tempe has dropped Z fares on MAD/BCN, that's unfortunate, but I'll live with it. But I'm not in a mood to get jacked on my coach fare once I know that we're relegated to the back.

Can anyone offer any booking insights/advice? I know that 2008 is gonna be a tough year on the airlines, but we pax are what keep them in the air and I'm just trying to get those good fares while also trying to remain a customer with this airline.

Barry
 
While I can't answer your specific questions, anecdotal evidence suggests that US has turned the "normal" pricing formulas upside down. Instead of knowing that they'll sell about X number of higher fare seats on a future flight and offering discounted pricing well in advance to fill the other seats (traditional yield management), it seems that at times they're trying to sell high fare seats first (well in advance) and relying on discounting (or consolidators) closer in to sell the remaining seats.

Jim