Tutorial – Understanding Fare Buckets And Fare Codes

Wouldn’t it be so amazing to see how many business class seats are left for sale or what’s the chance of my upgrade clearing? Well, fortunately,  there are program’s enabling everyday people to do this.

Expertflyer and KVS Tool are programs that will change how you fly.

Each program has different levels of membership which may seem expensive at first but is definitely worth it!

If you’ve flown before you may notice a letter on your boarding pass. This is known as a ‘booking or class code.’ Airlines have a large list of all different letters, and they are all unique.

As an example, these are all of Qantas’s booking codes.

All airlines will have different codes so you’ll need to make sure you’re looking at the airline’s list.

A few things to note:

• Not all fare’s earn points and status credits/EQM’s
• Not all fares are upgradeable
• Not all fares have the same change/cancellation policy

Expertflyer however, does the hard work and will simplify all the codes into a bucket. This is what it will look like:

If you look at the Available Classes table you’ll see a series of numbers and letters that look very similar/identical to this:

J9 C9 D9 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S9 N9 G0

For Qantas (Domestic) flights:

Classic Flight Reward (Economy) – X

Red-e Deal (Economy) – E, G, L, N, O, Q, S, V

Flexible (Economy) – B, H, K, M, Y

Classic Flight Reward (Business) – U

Business – D, I

Flexible Business – C, J

For Qantas (International) flights:

Classic Flight Reward (Economy) – X

Economy Sale – N, O, Q

Economy Saver – G, K, L, M, S

Economy Flex – B, H, Y

Classic Flight Reward (Premium Economy) – Z

Premium Economy Sale – T

Premium Economy Saver – R

Premium Economy Flex – W

Classic Flight Reward Business – U

Business Sale/Saver – D, I

Business Flex – C, J

Classic Flight Reward (First) – P

First Sale/Saver/Flex – A, F

If you see either a U, Z or P fare open, you can request an upgrade on an eligible fare and your upgrade may be confirmed instantly.

The fare bucket won’t show every single fare code, but it will shorten them down, and you’ll be able to see if the particular fare you’re after is available.

Expertflyer will also show Award or Redemption seats and if one isn’t showing you can enter your email for when one opens up.

Both programs also give you the ability to see the seat maps and which seats are taken and empty. Blocked seats are usually reserved for elites, bassinets, etc..

Bottom Line

I use these tool’s everytime I fly, and it’s such a fantastic tool to have. Even if you don’t travel frequently, it is still a worthwhile product to buy.