Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology .

Airline Booking Codes Explained & Everything You Need To Know

Stephen Au's image

Senior Content Contributor

487 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 24 U.S. States Visited: 22

Keri Stooksbury's image

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

29 Published Articles , 3030 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 45 U.S. States Visited: 28

Kellie Jez's image

Director of Operations & Compliance

1 Published Article , 1166 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 10 U.S. States Visited: 20

Airline Booking Codes Explained & Everything You Need To Know

What Is an Airline Booking Code?

Booking class, upgrade eligibility, mileage accrual, elite status qualification, cancellation policy, booking/routing restrictions, special fare classes for added award and upgrade availability, increase your chances of an upgrade, save big on infant/child fares, earn more redeemable or elite status miles with better fare classes, understand your ticket flexibility, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

The world of aviation is complex, chock full of information stored within airport kiosks. This is especially true within what’s known as the revenue management department. Simply put, this department is in charge of analyzing data and implementing practices that would optimize product quality and profitability.

Sounds complex and/or generic? You’re absolutely correct.

Over the years, airlines began bucketing the available tickets on a plane into discrete buckets, known colloquially as fare buckets. The tickets in each of these fare buckets correspond to different rules/policies, which ultimately results in a different customer experience.

Simply separating each cabin class (economy, premium economy, business, and first) is not enough to extract the most value from your airplane ticket, so this guide will be technical and complex.

We’ll explore what your airline booking code looks like and, more importantly, how it affects you.

There may be lots of seemingly random letters and numbers, but we’ll always be looking to tie back the knowledge to how it affects you and your exact situation.

Introduction

Airline booking codes are essential because they convey a tremendous amount of information in a succinct string of code letters and numbers. That way, an airline representative (or seasoned traveler) can look at the code and easily figure out what “kind of ticket” they’re looking at.

It’s important to note that although there are standard accepted practices for creating a code system for airline booking codes, every airline has different codes and structures that make unifying the system of airline booking codes impossible amongst all the airlines .

In other words, there are industry best practices for building an airline booking code, but there are no industry standards (i.e. booking codes from Delta Air Lines will look a lot different than booking codes from South African Airways).

Let’s take a look at what exactly an airline booking code looks like.

Airline booking codes look like a bunch of gibberish, but they’re really code letters and numbers that have some sort of meaning depending on the key a particular airline creates.

For example, let’s say that you wanted to book the cheapest first class ticket one-way from San Francisco (SFO) to New York City (JFK) on American Airlines on June 20.

By using the ITA Matrix by Google , you’ll see the following result:

ITA Matrix Search for Booking Codes

The exact airline booking code is boxed in red, and it reads AYAHJNFC . Doesn’t that look like gibberish? That’s because it is. Every airline constructs booking codes differently, and another example is the following ticket from JetBlue in its Mint class.

ITA Matrix Search for Booking Codes JetBlue Example

This ticket says CH2NNE, which has a completely different structure; there are 2 fewer letters and 1 number.

Let’s talk about what exactly the codes mean.

What Does Your Airline Booking Code Mean?

Each letter and number in the string of code represents a different concept. Let’s look at the American Airlines booking code, also known as the fare basis code: AYAHJNFC .

While it’s not essential to know what each of these letters means, it can go a long way in understanding what you get with your ticket. American Airlines, along with most other airlines, makes the fare basis codes extremely difficult to decode. This is mostly because there is no “key” or glossary that helps with these letters and numbers.

It may seem surprising that there’s no international standard for what the structure/meaning of the airline booking code must look like, but even though American Airlines’ bookings codes are extremely nebulous, they typically contain:

  • Booking class
  • Seasonality
  • Day of departure
  • Cancellation policy
  • Booking/routing restrictions

If you wanted a spoiler alert for American Airlines’ alphabet soup known as the fare basis example of AYAHJNFC , here it is:

  • A — booking class (with the exception of upgraded fares)
  • YA — Advance purchase requirement (60 days)
  • H — day of the week (Saturday)
  • J — Time travel restriction (unknown)
  • NFC — nonrefundable first class ticket (cancellation policy)

It’s also important to note that even the American Airlines representatives we contacted didn’t know what most of these letters represented. The only reason why we’re pretty certain this is correct is because of investigations comparing similar fares and reading through the detailed fare information.

The first (and arguably most important) aspect of your fare basis code is the booking class. In the example above ( AYAHJNFC ), the first letter “ A ” corresponds to American Airlines’ A fare class, which is shown in the second row here:

American Airlines fare booking codes

As we can see, the A fare class corresponds to a discounted first class fare, which makes sense, seeing as how this itinerary in Flagship First Class prices out at around half the price of the full-fare Flagship First Class tickets (F).

The fare class will help you determine how many miles you’ll earn from flying on a specific ticket, but we’ll get to that in the later sections.

You may also find some discrepancies between the first letter of the fare basis and the booking class. For example, there’s a ticket with fare basis I7AUPNAC on the same exact day. You’d think the fare class is in “I” due to the fact that the first letter is I, discount business class. However, this is actually an instant upgrade ticket with full-fare business class upgrading to first class.

The main scenarios in which the first letter of the fare basis doesn’t match the actual booking class is  when there’s an instant upgrade involved . Some examples of this are corporate fares, such as the well-known Y-Up fares . You will still earn miles equivalent to your actual flown cabin class. 

Bottom Line: Knowing your booking class from your fare basis is great because it can give you insight into your ticket type. Keep in mind that while most airlines denote the booking class with the first letter in the fare basis, some airlines actually tell you what actual seat you’ll be flying on, like Delta Air Lines.

Many times, you need to have a minimum booking class in order for a ticket to be upgradable. The best way to illustrate this concept is by using British Airways tickets.

British Airways will  not allow you to upgrade your ticket if your booking class is in the Q, O, or G buckets (the cheapest economy tickets). This makes sense because it would defeat the purpose of selling premium economy tickets. Why buy a $1,000 premium economy ticket when you can buy a super-cheap $200 economy ticket and upgrade it using a few Avios?

Additionally, some airlines, such as United Airlines , actually decide your priority on the upgrade list based on your booking class.

Check out this graphic, showing the official language from United Airlines regarding its upgrade waitlist placement:

Waitlist priority United flights

As you can see, fare class is the second-most-important factor in determining your waitlist priority, so it’s a pretty big deal, at least on United Airlines flights.

In the case of American Airlines , all published fares besides basic economy and award tickets can be upgraded according to this chart:

AA upgrade chart

Here are all the upgradable tickets:

AA upgrade eligible tickets

If you happen to buy a cheaper ticket, you’ll simply pay a higher co-pay to upgrade from a lower fare class. If you purchase a discount economy ticket from San Francisco (SFO) to New York City (JFK), such as in Q class, you can pay 15,000 AAdvantage miles plus $75 to upgrade to business class , provided that upgrade space is available.

Figuring out the number of miles you will earn on your airfare is essential for those who want to get rewarded for their loyalty on paid travel. Let’s analyze our previously discussed SFO-JFK ticket on American Airlines in AYAHJNFC fare basis.

Hot Tip: Want to figure out exactly how many miles you’ll earn on your ticket? Check out our guide on where to credit your miles , which also teaches you how to figure out your mileage accrual! 

In our case, we’re flying in A class on our San Francisco (SFO) – New York City (JFK) ticket, which means we’ll earn AA miles as a multiplier of the total distance flown.

We’ll earn:

Other programs, such as Cathay Pacific, earn miles based on the total distance flown.

As I detailed in my revenue round-trip Cathay Pacific first class flight that I booked for ~$1,200, I decided to credit my miles to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan , netting me the following mileage:

The booking class that I was booked in, A, was instrumental in determining how I was going to credit my revenue travel.

Thanks to my strategy, I was able to accrue over 24,000 Alaska miles on a one-way flight, which is worth ~$480, according to our miles valuations .

Bottom Line: Knowing your booking class will help you figure out where to credit airline miles, which is essential for extracting as much value from paid travel as possible. 

Not only does your booking class play a role in determining the number of miles you’ll accrue for traveling on the paid ticket, but it will also be  huge in determining what elite status qualification thresholds you’ll get closer to.

Simply put, lower fare classes are generally cheaper than higher fare classes, which means you’ll earn fewer AAdvantage Loyalty Points (since these are tied to your flight spending).

Hot Tip: Want to learn more about AAdvantage? Check out our review of American Airlines’ AAdvantage frequent flyer program .

Travel plans change all the time. Whether it’s due to weather, a desire to stay in a place for a longer time, or an emergency, understanding your airplane ticket’s cancellation policy is probably a prudent thing to do.

The problem is that some tickets have different cancellation policies than others. You need not fret, however, as this won’t apply to a majority of travelers unless you’re a traveler with a specific expense policy.

Most of us book the cheapest ticket, and unless you’re booking right before departure, you’ll be getting a nonrefundable ticket. Our fare basis AYAHJNFC  is nonrefundable due to the “NFC” letters. While NFC implies nonrefundable, the reverse isn’t true. Some nonrefundable tickets have different letters, and there’s no simple way to combine them.

Luckily, cancellation policies are readily displayed on an airline ticket page, so looking at your fare basis isn’t the easiest way to find out your cancellation policy.

If you’re a corporate traveler, your company expense policy may require refundable tickets; in that case, you’ll need to be cognizant of your cancellation policy before booking a ticket that violates your corporate expense guidelines. One of the ways to do this is to look at your fare basis. This isn’t the best way, though, since analyzing your fare basis is a technical exercise.

Hot Tip: See which cards have the best trip cancellation insurance so that you know you’re covered should something go wrong.

The last major item we’ll be talking about is booking and routing restrictions. With the case of our AA ticket with fare basis AYAHJNFC, the YA  letters represent a 60-day advance purchase requirement.

If you’re booking for travel on June 20, you must book at least 60 days before departure (around April 21) in order to qualify for this fare basis.

Here are some other American Airlines advance-purchase requirement codes:

  • YA — 60-day advance purchase requirement
  • WA — 30-day advance purchase requirement
  • VA — 21-day advance purchase requirement
  • UA — 14-day advance purchase requirement
  • 7A — 7-day advance purchase requirement
  • 3A — 3-day advance purchase requirement
  • 0A — 0-day advance purchase requirement

Also, there might be more information on your booking code/fare basis regarding routing rules for round-trip or multi-segment tickets, such as stopover allowance, transfer allowance, and minimum or maximum stay requirements.

Since our ticket we’re discussing AYAHJNFC is a one-way ticket, none of these apply.

Bottom Line: Using a tool like ExpertFlyer is an excellent way to get the full details on all airfare rules pertaining to minimum stay requirements, stopovers, and more. Check out our ultra-detailed guide on how to use ExpertFlyer to check fare information .

How Can You Use Airline Booking Codes to Your Advantage?

Now that we’ve gone through all the basics and informational content surrounding booking/fare basis codes, let’s bring it back to reality and see how we can use them to our advantage.

Booking award flights is often tedious and technically challenging. This is especially true for premium cabin flights. Sometimes, however, airlines incentivize loyalty by giving elite status members or cardholders access to extra award space that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

One of the best examples of this is United Airlines where in many cases you’ll have access to added award availability that non-elites and non-Chase United Explorer cardholders don’t. This can be vital if the particular route/schedule you want is in high demand. Simply by holding the United℠ Explorer Card , you can book more award seats than other people!

Award Availability for Chase United Cardmembers

Having access like this can help tremendously if you’re in a schedule constraint or if you’re booking close to departure. Here are the appropriate booking classes for United elites/cardholders that afford greater award access:

  • JN — High-cost first/business class award for elites and credit cardholders
  • IN — Low-cost first/business class award for elites
  • YN — High-cost economy class award for elites and credit cardholders
  • XN — Low-cost economy class award for elites and credit cardholders

It’s impossible to figure out exact award ticket prices since United uses dynamic award pricing, so keep that in mind.

If you’re in United Expert Mode, you can actually figure out the available fare classes on your exact flight:

Expert Mode United

Hot Tip: Using United Expert Mode is extremely useful. At Upgraded Points, we use it to find out if United upgrade space is available .

In addition to added award availability, you need to pay close attention to booking classes when looking to upgrade your flights.

For example, American Airlines treats premium cabin upgrades identically as discounted revenue tickets , meaning you can upgrade a paid business class ticket to first class as long as there are A fare tickets available.

This is phenomenal because you’ll be at a huge advantage in terms of upgrading your ticket if you know the exact booking class you need. They have several different ways to upgrade your tickets, including systemwide upgrades, using miles, or even using Business Extra points.

On the other hand, if you can figure out United’s upgrade fare classes, you’ll know which tickets can be immediately upgraded. United’s upgrade fare classes are:

  • PZ — Instant upgrades and Global Services upgrades
  • PN — All mileage upgrade awards and Platinum/Premier 1K certificates
  • RN — Premium Plus upgrades

Bottom Line: The importance of knowing what booking classes are available can’t be emphasized enough if you want to use airline booking codes to your advantage by getting extra award/upgrade space. 

As we mentioned earlier, upgrading economy tickets to business class is one of the best ways to save big on miles while still offsetting loads of costs associated with booking revenue business class tickets. Most airlines don’t allow any economy ticket to be upgraded all the way up to business class, and one of the biggest mistakes travelers make when trying to upgrade tickets is buying a ticket in too low of a fare class.

If you are diligent in figuring out your booking class via the fare basis, you might save yourself the mistake of buying a super-cheap ticket only to find out you can’t even upgrade it. With the case of United Airlines, you may not upgrade deeply discounted fares or basic economy fares (in fare classes W, S, T, L, K, G, and N).

Remember, too, that your specific fare class is the second-highest priority in determining whether or not you’ll get a complimentary domestic upgrade. Unfortunately, the higher the fare class, the most expensive the ticket. All in all, you can use this information to assist in booking your tickets and doing everything you can to increase your chances of snagging an upgrade.

Traveling with family members can be expensive, particularly infants, which are defined as under 2 years old in the aviation world. If you’re planning travel with your child, you’ll want to look for these fare classes to save loads of money:

  • IN — Infant fare (usually 10% of an adult fare)
  • CH — Child fare (up to 50% off of an adult fare)

Remember that these percentages are based on the revenue ticket cost, unless otherwise stated. This means that even if you book an award ticket in business class that would have cost $10,000, you may need to pay 10% of that for a lap ticket, adding another $1,000 to your travel. This is much better than paying for a full additional ticket, and it can go a long way to preserving the thickness of your wallet.

Some frequent flyer programs, such as Air Canada Aeroplan , allow you to pay with either miles or cash, but most require cash payments.

Children Discounts

We talked above about how different fare classes can offer more/less miles. If you’re particularly close to an elite status level and need Loyalty Points on American Airlines, for example, you may need a better elite status multiplier on your ticket.

This is a perfect example of using your knowledge of booking codes and fare classes to get yourself over the line for coveted Executive Platinum status, for example.

Say you’re extremely close to qualifying for Gold status with 29,000 Loyalty Points (30,000 Loyalty Points are needed for Gold status).

You’re going to be flying round-trip from Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR) on American Airlines.

If you booked a basic economy ticket costing $825 round-trip, you’d be just short of the 30,000-point threshold to earn Gold status.

Instead, booking a qualifying ticket in Main Cabin instead of basic economy could mean the difference between qualifying for Gold status and not.

This is just one example of how useful an in-depth understanding of airline booking codes can make or break your frequent flyer travel.

Many of us don’t have the foresight of predicting changes in travel plans. However, if you absolutely need flexibility, and you’re definitely going to cancel your ticket, you don’t want to book a nonrefundable ticket.

Let’s say you’ve waitlisted an award and you think there’s a 99% chance that space will be available. Let’s also say that you realize the 1% could leave you with booked hotels and vacation plans that are fully unrealized. One solution is to book a fully flexible ticket and cancel it when the award space opens up.

In that case, you need to find a refundable ticket. One of the best ways to do that is by leveraging the fare information provided in the fare basis. Specifically, the fare details will go into great detail on the exact cancellation policy. Check out an example below:

Fare Basis Cancellation Penalties

Different airlines have unique policies surrounding cancellations, refunds, and changes. These altogether make up the flexibility of an airplane ticket.

If you don’t take the time to properly understand the policies of each ticket, you could soon be stuck with large fees for cancellation or worse yet, have a ticket that you have no choice but to throw away due to the nonrefundable, non-cancelable nature of it.

The most fool-proof way of understanding your exact ticket flexibility is to look up your fare basis on ExpertFlyer or ITA Matrix by Google. Then, you would use the Find function (Ctrl-F) and type “cancel.” It should take you to all the places in the fare details where “cancel” is displayed.

Whew! That was intense! Even the most experienced travelers likely have never heard of airline booking codes or fare basis and certainly don’t know what all the fancy letters and numbers mean. But, ultra-savvy travelers will understand and appreciate how booking codes can help you tremendously when it comes to planning/booking travel.

We’ve covered the main insights for booking codes with a focus on United Airlines and American Airlines, but there are countless other complexities in this matter. Specifically, the lack of an international standard for constructing fare basis codes makes interpreting these codes much more difficult.

Luckily, we’ve dissected everything for you, so now you’re fully equipped with the ultimate guide to airline booking codes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a booking class.

Put most simply, a booking class is simply a single letter or a couple of letters in a pre-defined hierarchy. Also known as fare buckets, booking classes are used to lump tickets into groups that each have their own fare rules.

How do you read a fare basis code?

Interpreting a fare basis code is  not uniform across all airlines. Oftentimes, the individual constituents of a fare basis is not made publicly available. One perfect example is American Airlines, which is known for frequently changing up fare basis structures. If you really wanted to learn how to read a fare basis code, you’d have to compare multiple similar fares and use induction to loosely figure out what letters/numbers stand for what.

What does W class mean on an airline ticket?

W class, specifically for United, is the lowest upgradeable economy ticket for United Polaris. Anything lower than that and you can’t upgrade to Polaris class. W class can mean different things on different airlines, but W is typically reserved for a mid-level economy ticket on airlines.

What do airline booking codes mean?

Booking codes are useful for determining upgrade eligibility, the number of miles you’ll accrue, and many other things. Altogether, airline booking codes form the basis for separating tickets based on a number of rules defined by the airline.

What are the different fare classes on United?

Here are the different fare classes on United based on Premier qualifying miles earned and Premier qualifying segments earned:

What are the different fare classes on American Airlines?

Here are the different fare classes on American Airlines based on miles earned:

Was this page helpful?

About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE ™

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy and terms of service apply.

Related Posts

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles Loyalty Program Review

UP's Bonus Valuation

This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

  • Travel recommendations
  • The taste of travel
  • Tips & tricks
  • Travel experiences

preload

Everything you need to know about different flight classes

booking class travel meaning

When it comes to booking your next plane ticket, one of the first things you’ll need to decide is which of the flight classes to choose. That decision will be based on multiple factors: What’s your budget? How long is the flight? Do you have any points or airmiles you can use?

The list goes on. But whatever the reasons, it’s important to make sure you understand all the key differences between the various airline cabin classes, as well as the fare classes and what they mean.

In this post

  • What are airline cabin classes?
  • What are the different flight classes?
  • What are fare classes and what do they mean?
  • Tips on how to choose the best class and fare

1. What are airline cabin classes?

Man working on laptop on a business class flight

Air travel has changed a lot since the first, very basic commercial flight took to the skies in 1914. Now there’s a plethora of choices for customers, with most airlines offering four main cabin classes: Economy, Premium Economy, Business and First Class.

The main differences between these classes tend to be the cost of the flight and the extra perks and amenities you get on board – though it’s worth noting that all airlines offer slightly different options within their various classes.

Depending on the size of the airline, there may only be one single class available – Coach. Even then, an Economy seat on one carrier can differ hugely from a seat in Coach on another airline. If you’re not sure how many cabin classes your airline offers, it’s worth checking before booking.

2. What are the different flight classes?

While most airlines now offer the four main cabin classes , not all of them do, so it’s always worth checking in advance. And while certain airlines may have fleets that feature the same airplane models, many choose to design their interiors differently, so don’t just assume they’ll all be the same.

Look at the seating map for both the airline and airplane type you’re flying – doing your homework really pays off when it comes to picking the best class.

Seats on an aircraft

Economy seats are the no-frills option, great for travelers on a budget or those who make regular, short-haul flights and aren’t looking for luxury perks. Also known as coach, standard, or main cabin seats , this is the most affordable flight class and as basic as it comes on an airplane these days. The seats in Economy are narrower than in other classes, and you’ll also notice there’s much less legroom than in other classes. What’s included in an Economy ticket varies from airline to airline – on some flights, it doesn’t come with any extras, and things like in-flight food, Wi-Fi and luggage allowances need to be purchased separately. Other carriers might throw in complimentary snacks, drinks, and in-flight entertainment.

Premium Economy

Premium Economy offers a slight upgrade on standard Economy seats without ramping up the ticket price too much, making it a great option for frequent travelers looking for a slightly more comfortable option. The main perks in this class include wider seats and more legroom , though at a much lower price than Business or First Class. Premium Economy may be separated from other seats by a partition and often offers seats in a more desirable part of the plane (such as near the front), but they’ll usually be listed under the main cabin seats.

On domestic flights , the ‘Premium’ element usually just refers to the fact that they’re the better seats on an aircraft , but on international flights, Premium Economy may offer perks like better food, a larger baggage allowance and free amenity kits.

Those looking for a more luxurious option than Economy but who don’t want to stump up for first-class go for Business, which sits somewhere between the two. Business is definitely a big step up from Economy, offering much more comfortable seats that are wider and can either recline or lie flat, full, or multi-course meals (some of which are served on good China rather than disposable trays) and personal bar service . Naturally, offerings vary depending on different airlines , so it’s worth checking what each one offers before booking.

Lounge access is another great perk that comes along with buying a business-class ticket, particularly if you’re making a stopover on a long-haul journey. For the best deals, check out KAYAK’s handy guide on buying cheap business-class tickets .

First Class

It doesn’t get any better than First Class , which is the crème de la crème of flight classes. This is the most luxurious option available, and you can expect the price of your ticket to reflect that. Passengers in first class get to feel the benefits before they even get on board, skipping the long Economy check-in line and boarding first . The offerings vary vastly depending on the airline , but typically you can expect seats that flatten fully, plenty of personal attention from the flight attendants, special privacy features like your own door and a full meal service with the sort of food you might get in a nice restaurant. Some airlines, such as Emirates, really pull out all the stops, offering passengers their own suite with a double bed and a bathroom with a shower.

3. What are fare classes and what do they mean?

Woman passenger sleeping at the business class of airplane in comfortable single seat

The various fare classes airlines use divide every seat on a plane into different categories, each of which comes with its own price and its own set of rules. These fare classes are identified by one-letter codes , which you’ve probably spotted on your boarding pass before without realizing what they mean (I know I have). While fare codes vary from airline to airline, there are a few that are generally the same, such as the first letter in the fare basis code that represents the fare classes:

  • Y: Full-fare Economy-Class ticket
  • W: Full-fare Premium Economy Class ticket
  • J: Full-fare Business-Class ticket
  • F: Full-fare First-Class ticket

The fare basis code (series of 1-8 alphanumeric characters) holds lots of key information, such as the price of your ticket, how many air miles you’ll earn for that flight, and the level of flexibility you have to make any changes. Airlines use fare classes to help control their inventory and determine how many tickets can be sold at a particular price.

4. Tips on how to choose the best class and fare

Child on plane watching a movie with food tray

With so many factors to take into consideration, it’s important to make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for when booking a flight.

Once you’ve determined things like budget and whether you want to put airmiles towards a booking, you can start searching for the best deals in different flight classes and fare classes .

Use KAYAK’s Flight Search tool to track down the best deals. Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure you’re getting the most out of your next plane booking:

  • Do your homework and shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal on airline cabin classes.
  • Fare classes vary by airline, so consult them directly to ensure you understand what each letter means before booking a flight with them.
  • It’s important to know what fare class you’ve booked, as that will help you fully understand how it will affect your flight. For example, certain fare classes might prevent you from upgrading tickets or could earn you more points than others. Knowledge is power when it comes to making the most of airline deals and restrictions.
  • Generally, the cheaper the fare class, the more restrictions will be associated with that fare.

How this guide was created

I’ve been a travel journalist for 15 years and during that time have hopped on and off more planes than I can count, experiencing everything from cramped long-haul stints in coach to ultra-luxurious trips in first-class and all-expenses-paid private jets. This guide pulls together all the knowledge I’ve gathered during those excursions, as well as extensive research into different airline cabin policies and fare classes.

Some of our favorite flight routes

  • Flights to New York
  • Flights to Los Angeles
  • Flights to Chicago
  • Flights to San Francisco
  • Flights to Miami

About the author

booking class travel meaning

Explore more articles

booking class travel meaning

  • How we work
  • Hotel owners
  • Advertise with us
  • Airline fees
  • Low fare tips
  • Badges & Certificates
  • Terms & Conditions

California consumers have the right to opt out of the sale * of their personal information. For more information on how we securely process personal information, please see our Privacy Policy .

Do not sell my info ON

* The definition of "sale" under the California Consumer Privacy Act is applicable only to California consumers.

Simple Flying

A brief guide to airline ticket fare classes & codes.

Airlines use an alpha-numeric code to show what class you are in.

Whenever you purchase an airline ticket, you may have noticed that it always has an alphabetic or alpha-numeric code used to identify a fare type. Fare types range from economy class up to first class.

Because computer algorithms determine ticket prices, many factors go into determining how much you are going to pay for your ticket. Airline tickets are always more expensive during peak times like the summer or school holidays and vacations. Other factors also determine how much you will pay based on availability and how long you purchased your ticket before the flight. There was a time, now sadly gone, when you could show up at an airport without a ticket, and if an empty seat was available, easily purchase a "standby ticket" for a considerable discount.

Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying

Airlines offer between one and four classes of service

Today, generally speaking, on airlines, there are four types of classes:

  • Economy: Almost always the rear of the aircraft, a section of dense seating that caters to leisure travelers. On low-cost carriers like Ryanair and easyJet, their aircraft are configured in an all-economy layout.
  • Premium economy: Situated behind business class, premium economy seats are slightly wider than economy seats and offer more legroom. Some airlines even offer an upgraded meal service.
  • Business class: As the name suggests, catering to people traveling for business, seats in business class offer more privacy and can often be configured into a lay-flat bed perfect for taking a nap on long-haul overnight flights.
  • First class: The big three United States carriers Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines, all got rid of their first class seats on long-haul flights and replaced them with business class seats. While similar to what you would find in business class, flying first class can include a chauffeur-driven limousine to and from your hotel. First class passengers are also pampered from start to finish with à la carte meals on demand and a paired wine list to match the food offerings. If you have the funds, you can still fly first class with carriers such as Emirates , Etihad, Air France, British Airways, Japan Airways, All Nippon Airways, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, and Singapore Airlines.

Select the best class of service to suit your needs

As you can see, only some travelers are looking for the cheapest ticket, and paying extra for a premium economy ticket can have more benefits, like extra air miles or an increase in your luggage allowance.

A friend discovered this on a recent TAP Portugal flight from Miami to Lisbon. He needed to travel with two suitcases, but his allowance on an economy class ticket was only one. This meant that if he were flying economy, he would have to pay for the second suitcase. In premium economy, the allowance was two suitcases and extra air miles. However, the cost of upgrading to premium economy was the same as paying for the excess luggage, so the choice was simple.

The codes have a letter and a number

Each of the above fare classes is identified with a one-letter code:

  • Y = A full-fare economy class ticket
  • W= A full-fare premium economy class ticket
  • J= A full-fare business class ticket
  • F= A full fare first class ticket

There are various other letters to describe lower fares of the same class as well. After the letter, you will see a number that ranges from zero to nine. For example, if your ticket says J2, two seats are still available in business class on your flight. Nine is the largest possible number and indicates that there are more than nine seats available in your class of service. An example of this would be Y9 in economy class.

Lean Traveller Guide - logo

All About Business Travels

  • Air travel tips

All you need to know about your booking class code

booking class travel meaning

Recently, I was trying to use my Miles and More voucher to upgrade my travel class for a long-haul flight to Beijing but my request was rejected. The man on the phone told me that my booking class N does not allow him to give me this upgrade… a man learns something new every day.

Till that day I was thinking that the world of travel class is divided into the economy, premium economy, business class and the first class. So let me share with you what I’ve learned in the topic of booking class codes.

What does booking class mean?

Booking class matches the seat in an airplane with price and privileges. It is always indicated by one letter code from A to Z. When I say privileges it means that passengers with the same travel class can have tickets with different booking classes.  For example, both can have Premium Economy tickets and one of them is with W booking code and the other one with N. Then the guy with W code will be able to upgrade his travel class for miles and the other no.

Why airlines need it?

Airlines treat airplane seats as products for sale and to make it easier to follow sales and availability, they group it in booking classes. This approach means that each seat which was not sold becomes the “inventory” on the stock what is waste for an airline. Therefore some ticket prices fall in particular booking class, some seats become award from loyalty programs and so on. In other words, airlines are using booking class to find the balance between full occupancy of a plane and maximized profit from each flight.

Why is it worth to know details about your booking class?

As it was mentioned before, some fare codes are restricted in terms of:

  • The number of points awarded in your loyalty program – you can use this tool to know how many points you will get with your booking class
  • Flexibility – example: free rebooking, low-cost cancellation
  • Travel class upgrades – see above mentioned example
  • Baggage allowances

Each airline has its own coding system so try to dig more details of your booking class code before pushing the “Buy” button on the carrier’s website.

In fact, some booking codes are standard across all airlines and below you can check what I’ve researched:

It’s always worth to know what’s behind your booking class to avoid disappointments. And believe me, this is not the last thing which can bring you some surprises. If you want to know some more “pre-booking” traps, read my article about tips for booking the flights .

booking class

Featured image source:  pixabay.com

You can read our Privacy Policy

What Is a Fare Class?

When most people think of "class" in terms of airplane travel, they consider the class of service, such as first, business, or coach. But airlines organize classes with a much more complex structure, with letters representing a "fare class," not only a cabin. These letters are often tied to a particular class of service, but each cabin will have multiple fare classes assigned, with each letter representing the price a passenger paid for their seat. If you're just getting started with miles and points , it's a bit early to begin obsessing over fare classes, but if not now, you're going to want to learn about them at some point.

Decoding Different Fare Levels

To make things even more confusing, different airlines use different letters to represent different levels. K, a deep-discount fare class on United, may be tied to a much pricier bucket on another carrier. But across the board, most airlines use F to represent a full-fare (very expensive) first class ticket, with J assigned to the full-fare business, and Y linked to the full-fare economy. From there, things get very, very confusing.

Fare classes are one reason why one passenger may have paid significantly more for a flight than the customer sitting next to him. Some companies require their employees to purchase refundable (full-fare) tickets, but even some leisure travelers pay more for the same seat than others. Typically, airlines release a certain number of deep-discount fares for each flight. Once those are sold, the ticketing system moves up the alphabet to the next class.

​Similarly, if only two deep-discount tickets are available and you search for four (to keep your family on a single reservation), the system will return the first class with four available seats. For this reason, you may save money by booking seats individually after you locate a flight that has enough room to accommodate your group.

Booking Your Ticket

Before you book a ticket, you should also match the available fare class to your frequent flier program's earning chart. In some cases, your fare class may not be eligible to earn miles , but nearly all paid fares with US-based airlines earn at least one mile per mile flown. International airlines may not award you any mileage with deep-discount tickets, however, and your US-based program may also not issue award miles for certain fare classes on partner flights, even if the flight is operated as a code-share. For example, if you book a flight through United that's operated by Austrian, even though the fare class would qualify for mileage if it were a United flight, your frequent flier program will credit you based on the operating airline.

Fare classes are also used to represent award ticket availability. Often, if a deep-discount fare isn't available for a given flight, you won't be able to book an award seat at the lowest redemption level. Business and first class tickets are handled in the same way, so if the only available first-class fare costs $15,000 roundtrip for a route that carries a $10,000 discounted first-class fare, you may have a hard time booking an award. Advanced users can use fare classes to their advantage with a tool like ExpertFlyer.com. There, you can see available classes for many flights, making it simple to search for award seats several days at a time.

What the Airfare Class of Service Letters Mean

American Airlines Just Revamped Its Loyalty Program—Here's What to Know

How to Travel the World for Free Using Miles and Points

How to Use Yapta's Online Price Tracker

Calculating the Value of a Frequent Flyer Mile or Hotel Point

How to Get a Free Upgrade From an Airline

How Airline Employees and Their Families Fly Free

How to Get Your Miles Back After Canceling an Award Flight

Why Senior Airfares Have Disappeared

North American Airlines on Rules for Overweight Passengers

Check-in Bags With the Top U.S. Airlines

5 Ways to Find the Cheapest Train Travel

Inter-Island Flying in Hawaii

Small Air Travel Upgrades You Can Totally Afford

What Are North American Airlines' Policies on Bereavement Fares?

Car Seat Policies for the Top 15 North American Airlines

  • Stopover Programs
  • Student Discounts
  • Seat and Lounge Reviews

EXPLAINED: What is a Fare Class

Publication.

Publish Date:

Modified Date:

To truly understand what type of airline ticket you have purchased, you need to know what a cabin class, fare class and a fare basis are.

In this article, we look at what the fare class is and what it means for you as the purchaser. Before reading this, you may want to check out how cabin classes came to be and what they offer . If you want a deeper diver, there is always the fare basis to look at which explains how kind of ticket you have.

Without going into too much detail about airline revenue management systems, its probably best to say that these systems are extremely complex processes which take in hundreds of environmental factors and outputs a model to squeeze the most money out of passengers while filling the plane up as best as possible – and nothing more.

The goal at the end of the day for airlines is to offer a product that people are happy to pay for – at a price they are willing to pay for.

What is a Fare Class

Breaking down a ticket by cabin-class only goes so far. In the real world, each person has their own thresholds to what they are willing to pay for a ticket; this is normally the main factor influencing a purchasing decision. A passenger who must fly for work in comparison to a student backpacker looking for their next big holiday will have two different requirements and financial thresholds.

An airline splitting your fares based solely on the cabin configuration has a level of inflexibility which doesn’t go far enough to target these different segments of people and extract the most revenue out of them.

In principle, set prices too high and your plane flies empty; set prices too low and you’ve missed out on potential revenue. As such, airlines use a complex algorithm that takes into account factors like the number of seats on a flight, departure and destination airports, the time of day, the time of year, the expected breakdown of leisure and business passengers and historical data to determine how many seats to target to a certain type of traveller for maximum yield.

Airlines have addressed this by reducing their ticket prices to appeal to different markets, but in turn, have increased a tickets inflexibility as prices decrease. Subsequently, airlines will band groups of tickets together and assign a letter to them and this is what’s known as the fare class (also known as a fare bucket or booking class). For example, a plane may have 25 economy seats still available and the airline may show it in a reservation system as [Y7 K5 M4 T6 E3] which indicates how many of each booking class can be reserved.

In short, a fare class is a division of a cabin set at different price points with the aim of targeting different market segments.

How do Fare Classes Work

Originally, booking codes were standardized by the International Air Transport Association , but airlines want to define their target markets according to their operating environment and so codes are now determined by each airline – which makes comparisons a bit harder to do. However, Airline Alliances will try to standardise their codes between members to help unify alliance offerings. When booking a flight with a carrier aligned with the Oneworld Alliance, you will typically see the same codes cropping up

  • “Y” denoting a full fare economy class ticket
  • “J” denoting a full-fare business class ticket
  • “F” denoting a full-fare first class ticket

Additionally, Star Alliance standardise their reward booking classes to

  • “X” denoting economy class award seat
  • “I” denoting a Business class award seat
  • O: denoting a First class award seat

What is important is that fare classes are ranked in a hierarchy – first by the booking class (First, Business, Economy) then by the restrictiveness of the type of ticket. The most flexible types of tickets are termed “normal fares” and are usually the most expensive, this is then followed by less flexible tickets known as “special fares” . Ticketing websites usually sell from the cheapest available ticket that meets your requirements – emphasis on your requirements as this is what will ultimately affect what you are offered vs the person next to you.

Fare class can also denote important information like how many airline miles you’ll accrue for the flight, the cancelation and change restrictions, or if you ticket is eligible for an upgrade.

Additionally, airlines will use it to note what services are rendered.  Take Qatar Airways for instance, they state that only some fare classes will be eligible for complementary hotels on long layovers or American Airlines with their fare class “B” or Basic Economy which has a multitude of restrictions placed on them .

Over time as more are sold, the ticketing system will eventually hit a point where the allocated number of tickets within a fare bucket has sold out; it is at this point a customer will be offered the next least restrictive fare bucket in the hierarchy. Once the seats within a bucket are sold for a flight, the bucket isn’t replenished.

Useful Tools

For some reason, which to this day surprises me, some airlines do not like showing you the fare class and the fare rules. if they do show it, they make it incredibly difficult to find, sometimes even blurring them behind names like ‘business flex’, ‘business saver’, and ‘business promo’.

Using tools like ITA Matrix do a good job in pulling out the the fare class.

booking class travel meaning

Expert Flyer

Additionally, if you want to see what seats are available per flight, its best to use tools like Expert Flyer. This can be handy if you are planning to say bid for an upgrade and want to know if submitting the lowest ammount will get you through.

booking class travel meaning

Where to Credit

While many people will not care what the fare class they have been put into, there is a small proportion of people who do and these are the people who collect frequent flyer miles. But if you are a member of one frequent flyer program and fly with a partner airline but can not work out how many miles you will earn then WhereToCredit is your best friend . The tool for figuring out how many miles you will earn on any fare and where to bank them to maximize your miles.

booking class travel meaning

It Gets More Complex than This

However, this is just the beginning. The fare class is just the first letter of an alphanumeric code called the fare basis. The code effectively expands and codifies the type of ticket purchased into an easy format for airline staff and travel agents to quickly access the fare rules for a ticket.

If you want to read more the article is here.

Air Asia X Quite Zone: An Overview

Understanding cathay pacific’s 24-hour cancellation policy, how to book swiss throne seats for free, exploring delta vip select, premium economy: the nuances of comfort and cost, qantas family transfers – a quick overview.

Dan

Article Comments

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related Articles

Explained – singapore airlines award waitlist, what is air passenger duty, what is european business class, explained: what is a cabin class, explained: ana discover japan fare, popular catagories.

  • British Airways 59
  • Featured Posts 42
  • American Airlines 32
  • Tips & Tricks 31
  • Cathay Pacific 28
  • Qatar Airways 22
  • Terminology Corner 20
  • Virgin Atlantic 19
  • Singapore Airlines 18
  • Delta Airways 17
  • Lufthansa 16
  • Travel Tools 15
  • Japan Airlines 14

EDITOR PICKS

Popular posts, how to get a free turkish airlines stopover in istanbul, british airways rules on ticket name changes & corrections, a guide to emirates dubai connect transit accommodation, popular category.

Travelling On Points is an up-and-coming blog and YouTube Channel that focuses on travel and points.

Find out more: About Us

© Copyright Travellingonpoints.com

  • Homepage (2020)
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Credit cards
  • View all credit cards
  • Banking guide
  • Loans guide
  • Insurance guide
  • Personal finance
  • View all personal finance
  • Small business
  • Small business guide
  • View all taxes

You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners .

How American Airlines Fare Classes Work

JT Genter

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Table of Contents

American Airlines booking classes

American airlines fare classes, american airlines different classes of economy fares, why do american airlines class codes matter, how do i find my fare class on american airlines, how to earn aadvantage miles quickly, american airlines classes and fares recapped.

Booking a flight used to be simple. Travelers had the option of booking a seat in either economy or first class. However, more recently, airlines like American Airlines have focused on "product segmentation" — adding in additional fare classes and cabins in an effort to maximize revenue.

Now, travelers have seemingly endless fare options when trying to book a flight. Should you book basic economy or "Main Cabin" — American Airlines' new term for a standard economy ticket? And what the heck is Main Plus? Let's dig into the American Airlines class codes, fare classes and more so you can make sense of it all.

American Airlines uses the following booking classes for revenue (non-award) fares:

Basic economy: B.

Main Cabin: O, Q, N, S, G, V, M, L, K, H, Y.

Premium economy: P, W.

Business class: I, R, D, C, J.

First class: A, F.

You'll notice that there aren't separate booking fare classes for Main Cabin Extra, Main Plus, Main Select or Flagship Business Plus as these are just add-on packages on top of the standard fare in that cabin.

» Learn more: Business class vs. first class on American Airlines

At current count, American Airlines offers at least 11 different fare classes:

Flagship First .

Flagship Business .

Flagship Business Plus .

First class (domestic).

Business class (short-haul international).

Premium economy .

Main Select.

Main Cabin Extra .

Main Cabin .

Basic economy .

You can do a deeper dive into the fare classes in our full guide on American Airlines seat selection .

Not every flight is going to have every one of these classes. For example, a domestic U.S. flight will typically offer first class, Main Cabin Extra and Main Cabin seating — with basic economy, Main Plus and maybe even Main Select fares sold on that flight.

Meanwhile, an international flight on American Airlines' flagship Boeing 777-300ER will offer Flagship first class, Flagship business class, premium economy, Main Cabin Extra and Main Cabin seating — typically with basic economy, Main Plus, and sometimes Main Select fares sold in the Main Cabin and the option to buy Flagship Business Plus in business class.

» Learn more: American Airlines' basic economy vs. Main Cabin

Almost every American Airlines flight offers Main Cabin Extra, Main Cabin and basic economy fares. There are also two fare options — Main Plus and Main Select — that give you access to Main Cabin Extra seats and a few other perks.

So, let's break down the differences between these American Airlines economy fare classes:

Compared to other airlines — looking at you, United Airlines — American Airlines' basic economy isn't as punitive . Basic economy passengers still get a full-size carry-on bag, are able to purchase seats from the time of booking and AAdvantage elites are still eligible for upgrades to first class.

However, American Airlines passengers earn 60% fewer miles when booking a basic economy seat compared to a Main Cabin fare. Plus, you won't be able to change your booking.

Purchasing a Main Cabin fare gets you a higher mileage earning rate, free changes (though a fare difference may apply), free seat selection and a slightly earlier boarding group. However, your seat and in-flight experience will be the same — unless you purchase a Main Cabin Extra seat.

» Learn more: American Airlines boarding groups and how you can upgrade your group

Main Cabin Extra technically isn't a different fare class. Instead, you score a couple of extra perks by purchasing a "Main Cabin Extra" extra-legroom seat — or selecting it for free if you have AAdvantage elite status. In addition to extra legroom, perks include an earlier boarding group and complimentary beer, wine and spirits. However, you still generally get the same seat type and service as Main Cabin.

Main Plus is essentially a fare class package that adds a free checked bag and Main Cabin Extra on top of a standard Main Cabin ticket.

Likewise, Main Select is a different type of fare package that makes your fare fully refundable, bumps you up to Group 4 priority boarding and lets you make confirmed flight changes the day of departure. However, you don't get a free checked bag with this option.

» Learn more: American Airlines boarding groups and how you can upgrade

If you're opting to earn AAdvantage miles on an American Airlines flight, your booking class generally doesn't matter. If you booked basic economy, you'll earn a base of 2 miles per eligible dollar spent. Otherwise, you'll earn a base of 5 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent. And AAdvantage elites earn a bonus on top of those base earning rates.

However, your booking class matters if you booked a special fare (e.g. as part of a package), plan to apply a mileage upgrade or plan to credit your flight to another mileage program. In these cases, your American Airlines class codes will determine how many miles you earn or how much your upgrade will cost.

For instance, let's take a flight from New York-John F. Kennedy to Los Angeles. Booking a $108 one-way basic economy fare will earn a base AAdvantage member 174 miles (2x the base fare of $87). If you book the flight as part of a package, it may code as a special fare and earn 248 miles (10% of the 2,475-mile distance). Or, you can credit this basic economy flight to British Airways to earn 619 Avios (25% of the 2,475-mile distance).

However, if you select the $153 Main Cabin fare instead, you'll earn 645 AAdvantage miles (619 if booked as a special fare) or 619 Avios. Plus, you gain the ability to upgrade this fare to business class for 15,000 miles plus $75 — if there's upgrade availability.

If you book at the last-minute or a flight is almost sold out, you'll likely book into a higher American Airlines fare class. AAdvantage mileage earnings would still be calculated based on the cost, but you'll earn additional miles when crediting to another mileage program.

» Learn more: How to know how many miles you’ll earn from a flight

When you’re shopping for a ticket on American, the fare classes are listed under "Details" under each departure time.

booking class travel meaning

Click the "Details" button and a screen will pop up with class code info, broken out by ticket type.

booking class travel meaning

For example, in the screenshot above, the flight from Chicago to Dallas has the following fare classes: B in basic economy, N in main cabin and I in first class.

You can stock up on miles for booking American flights by applying for one of the following cards and meeting the requirements for the welcome offer.

Citibank AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard Credit Card

on Citibank's application

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card

on Chase's website

Bilt World Elite Mastercard Credit Card

on Bilt's website

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card

on Bank of America's website

If you're a loyalist, applying for an American Airlines credit card can be a smart money move. But if you value flexibility, consider other card options that allow you to transfer points to AAdvantage or book American flights without "chaining" you to a single brand.

AAdvantage is a partner of Marriott Bonvoy . You can transfer points to American from the hotel brand at a 3:1 ratio.

Bilt Rewards is a unique program that allows members to earn points on rent, then transfer to eligible programs for travel bookings. AAdvantage is an option for 1:1 transfers.

Because of a special partnership between Alaska Airlines and American , members in either program can use their miles to book flights with either brand.

Unfortunately, AAdvantage is not a transfer partner of any of the major bank / transferable points programs (Chase, American Express, Capital One or Citi).

American Airlines offers a large variety of fare classes and booking codes.

While the alphabet soup of booking fare codes has been a part of airlines for years, new American Airlines fare classes like Main Plus, Main Select and Flagship Business Plus add new complications when travelers are booking a flight.

However, knowing the differences between the fare classes and picking the right one can help you get the features you value most — whether that's an extra legroom seat or higher mileage earnings.

(Top photo courtesy of American Airlines)

The information related to Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Citibank Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® Credit Card

1x Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.

70,000 Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

booking class travel meaning

  • Travel Planning Center
  • Ticket Changes & Refunds
  • Airline Partners
  • Check-in & Security
  • Delta Sky Club®
  • Airport Maps & Locations
  • Flight Deals
  • Flight Schedules
  • Destinations
  • Onboard Experience
  • Delta Cruises
  • Delta Vacations
  • Shop Hotels
  • In-Flight Wi-Fi
  • Trip Protection
  • How to Earn Miles
  • How to Use Miles
  • Buy or Transfer Miles
  • Travel with Miles
  • SkyMiles Partners & Offers
  • SkyMiles Award Deals
  • SkyMiles Credit Cards
  • SkyMiles Airline Partners
  • SkyMiles Program Overview​
  • How to Get Medallion Status​
  • Benefits at Each Tier
  • News & Updates
  • Help Center
  • Travel Planning FAQs
  • Certificates & eCredits
  • Accessible Travel Services
  • Child & Infant Travel
  • Special Circumstances
  • SkyMiles Help

Fare Classes & Tickets

Smarter travel begins here.

When it comes to fares and fees, we don't want there to be any unwanted surprises. Being a smart traveler means knowing what to expect. Take the time to read through this section, so you know exactly what fees you can expect — and even better, what fees you can avoid all together.

FARES & DISCOUNTS

Rules / restrictions, taxes & fees, ticket currencies.

  • Investor Relations
  • Business Travel
  • Travel Agents
  • Comment/Complaint
  • Browser Compatibility
  • Accessibility
  • Booking Information
  • Customer Commitment
  • Tarmac Delay Plan
  • Sustainability
  • Contract of Carriage
  • Cookies, Privacy & Security
  • Human Trafficking Statement (PDF)

Versed Traveler

Airline Fare Classes: A Guide to Understanding Ticket Pricing

  • Versed Traveler
  • September 21, 2023

white and blue airplane flying over the orange flower field during daytime

Revenue management departments of major airlines are complex and intricate. These departments are responsible for deciding how much passengers will pay for their tickets. Passengers sitting in the same row can pay vastly different amounts for their tickets. To control revenue, airlines offer tickets in different airline fare classes for every flight.

Airline fare classes are further divisions of service classes such as economy, premium economy, business, and first class. These classes are complicated and vary from airline to airline. However, having at least some familiarity with the terminology can be helpful when searching for an elusive award ticket, booking an upgradeable fare, or trying to determine how many miles will be earned for an upcoming trip. In this article, I will explain airline fare classes and provide insight into what the fare basis code tells readers about their next flight.

person taking picture of plane wings while flying during daytime

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

  • Understanding airline fare classes can help travelers navigate the complex world of airline ticket pricing.
  • Airline fare classes vary from airline to airline and are further divisions of service classes.
  • Knowing the terminology can be helpful when searching for award tickets or booking upgradeable fares.

Airline Fare classes basics

Airline fare classes are a way that airlines divide every seat on a plane into different categories, each with its own price and set of rules. They are identified by one-letter fare codes, with some airline fare classes and codes being standard across all airlines, while others vary depending on the airline. For example, the Y fare class is typically a full-fare economy-class ticket, the J fare class is typically a full-fare business-class ticket, and the F fare class is typically a full-fare first-class ticket.

While most airlines have a different fare class for all 26 letters in the alphabet, some airlines no longer market certain airline fare classes. For instance, Delta and United no longer market any flights with the F fare class, with J being the highest fare class available for purchase. American does use the F fare class, but only for flights offering Flagship First service on its three-cabin aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A321T.

passport booklet on top of white paper

Airline fare classes are used by airline reservation systems and travel agents to sell seats on a plane, and to keep track of which air fare classes are still available. They also represent all the tickets that can be bought directly with cash, or revenue fares. However, certain upgrade and award fare codes may also be available, which provide more information beyond revenue fares.

It is important to note that the most-discounted fares often have the strictest rules when it comes to refunds, changes, baggage allowances, and earning frequent flyer miles or elite credit. Some airlines do not award frequent flyer miles at all if a ticket is purchased in the most-discounted economy fare class, especially when trying to credit the flight to loyalty programs of partner airlines.

Overall, understanding airline fare classes is crucial for travelers who want to make informed decisions about their flights, as it can impact the price they pay, the rules they must follow, and the rewards they can earn.

How Airline Fare Classes Affect You

Airline fare classes can have a significant impact on your travel experience, from the price you pay for your ticket to the number of miles you earn for your flight. Understanding air fare classes is essential for travelers who want to maximize their benefits and minimize their costs.

When booking a flight, the fare class you select will determine the price you pay for your ticket. Airline companies offer different airline fare classes, which are further divided into service classes such as coach, business, and first class. Each fare class has a unique code that represents the ticket’s restrictions, such as the refundability, changeability, and upgradeability of the ticket.

For instance, if you’re looking to book a flight from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX), the price you pay for your ticket will depend on the air fare class you choose. Suppose you find a round-trip ticket for $305, but you wait to confirm dates with a family member before booking. In that case, the price may increase to $375 if the more-discounted fare class you were looking at yesterday is now sold out.

blue and white airplane seats

Airline fare classes can also affect the number of miles you earn for your flight. While most airlines have switched to a revenue-based model of awarding miles for flights on their own flights, traveling on most of their partner airlines will use a formula that takes into account distance flown as well as fare class booked. As an example, the lowest fare class (V) on Delta Air Lines only awards you 25% of the miles flown. If you book a round-trip flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Atlanta (ATL), you’ll cover a total distance of 1,331 miles. However, that would only give you 333 miles. Booking into a fare class at the next level (E, N, or R) would double those earnings.

Additionally, airfare classes are critical if you’re chasing Delta Air Lines Medallion status. The lowest economy fare class would get you 1,331 Medallion Qualification Miles, but only 5% Medallion Qualification Dollars. If the base fare of the MEX-ATL flight on Aeromexico was $200, you would only earn 10 MQDs. Even booking into full-fare business class nets you a maximum of 40% MQDs. Delta is capping the MQD earnings as an incentive for its most loyal travelers to earn status by flying on Delta’s own flights or, at the very least, booking partner flights through Delta.

white, red, and blue Delta passenger plane

It’s also important to note that many carriers will either prevent you from upgrading tickets booked into certain airline fare classes or will add cash copays to do so. Therefore it’s critical to know what fare class you’ve booked so you can fully understand how that will affect your flight.

In summary, fare classes play a crucial role in determining the price you pay for your ticket and the number of miles you earn for your flight. By understanding airfare classes, travelers can make informed decisions that maximize their benefits and minimize their costs.

Standard Practices and Common Airline Fare Classes Rules

When it comes to airline tickets, fare basis codes are the key to understanding the rules and restrictions associated with a particular fare class. A fare basis code is a series of alphanumeric characters that designate the fare class and other important information about the ticket. These codes are used by airline reservation specialists and travel agents to determine how the fare is constructed and what restrictions apply.

For example, a fare basis code like KAA2PHEN tells us that this is a K-class fare on a United flight from New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD). Clicking on “rules” would reveal all the restrictions associated with this fare. Generally, the cheaper the fare class, the more restrictions that will be associated with the fare. In the case of a K fare with United, this is a deeply discounted non-basic economy fare that still earns 5 miles per dollar for non-elite members and is upgradeable using cash, miles, PlusPoints, or a space-available Complimentary Premier Upgrade for MileagePlus Premier members.

blue and white airplane seats

Fare basis codes can also tell an agent whether a fare is refundable, good for one-way or round-trip tickets, departing to or from specific countries, combinable with other fares, and good in high or low season. They can also indicate how far in advance the fare can be booked and whether there are any routing restrictions or change penalties.

Deciphering fare basis codes takes practice and knowledge specific to the airline, as each one has its own style for writing codes. However, understanding the fare class and its set rules is a good place to start. For example, a fare basis code like WH7LNR tells us that this is a W fare class ticket, it’s a high-season ticket, it requires booking seven days in advance, it’s a long-haul flight, and the ticket is nonrefundable.

Overall, understanding fare basis codes is an important part of booking and managing airline tickets. By knowing what the codes mean, travelers can make informed decisions about which fares to book and what restrictions to expect.

person holding two white tickets

Common Airline Fare Classes in the Points and Miles Hobby

Airline fare classes are codes used by airlines to distinguish between different types of tickets. These codes can be confusing and vary from airline to airline, but understanding them can help points and miles enthusiasts find the best deals and maximize their rewards.

The most common airline fare classes used in the points and miles hobby are Y, W, J, and F. Y stands for economy, W stands for premium economy, J stands for business, and F stands for first class. These codes are often used by bloggers and award travelers to discuss ticket prices and availability.

It’s important to note that these codes are also used for specific fare classes, generally the most expensive ones. This means that just because a seat is available in the cabin you want to fly in, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s available using miles or points.

plane ticket with airline fare classes

The same holds true for upgrades. Airlines set aside specific fare buckets for award tickets and upgrades, and just because there are open seats in first class, it doesn’t mean they’re available for upgrades. This is especially true if the seats aren’t placed into the fare class designated for upgrades, which may not happen until shortly before departure.

Knowing these fare classes can also be helpful when booking partner airline flights. For example, if a confirmation only says “TG 678 (I),” the traveler can confirm that they were booked in business class on Thai Airways with United miles because they know that “I” stands for business.

To illustrate how fare classes work for award tickets, let’s look at Star Alliance. The 26 member airlines have standardized their award-booking classes, so if you’re looking to use miles from one carrier’s program on a flight operated by another carrier, you’ll need to know the following inventory:

  • X: Economy award seat
  • I: Business award seat
  • O: First award seat

It’s important to note that there may be restrictions on which airline fare classes are available for award tickets and upgrades. For example, Swiss typically only allows elite members of its Miles & More program to redeem miles for first class on its own flights, while Singapore generally only releases long-haul first- and business-class awards to members of its own KrisFlyer program.

Overall, understanding airline fare classes is a crucial part of maximizing rewards in the points and miles hobby. By knowing which fare classes are available for award tickets and upgrades, travelers can make informed decisions and get the most out of their loyalty programs.

Special Airline Fare Classes

Airlines use specific airfare classes for their own products, passengers, or other situations. Some of these airline fare classes are only available to certain cardholders or loyalty program members. For example, United cobranded cardholders or MileagePlus Premier members have access to fare class XN, which provides extra economy award seats.

Other airlines have their own special airfare classes, such as Delta’s OU code for complimentary Medallion upgrades, United’s PZ code for complimentary Premier upgrades, and Alaska’s U code for complimentary MVP upgrades to first class. However, travelers confirmed into Alaska first class via U class are not eligible for access to the Alaska Lounge.

people sitting on white chairs inside building

There are also airline fare classes that indicate special circumstances, such as CB for an extra seat for cabin baggage, IN for infant fare (usually 10% of an adult fare), and CH for child’s fare (varies from 0%–50% savings depending on the airline). Some fare classes are even more specific, such as CL for clergy fare, DP for diplomat, and PG for pilgrim.

Etihad uses the P code for The Residence on A380s, while YCA indicates contracted military/U.S. government fares, which are treated mostly as full Y tickets but unfortunately are no longer upgradeable on American Airlines.

It’s important to note that not all airlines use the same fare codes, and some fare codes may have different meanings depending on the airline. It’s always a good idea to check with the airline directly or consult their website for more information on their specific airline fare classes and what they indicate.

Bottom Line

Knowing your fare class is crucial for maximizing the value of your travel experience. Understanding your fare class can help you determine whether you’ll earn 100% of your frequent flyer miles from a purchased ticket and whether your ticket is upgradeable. Additionally, your fare class can tell you if your ticket is refundable and if any change fees are required.

By utilizing resources such as wheretocredit.com, you can determine which frequent flyer program you’ll credit your flight toward, and plan your strategy for making changes before talking to the airlines. This knowledge can help you make informed decisions that will save you time and money in the long run.

shallow focus photography of people inside of passenger plane - airline fareclasses

The Points Guy offers a points and miles guide for beginners, which can be helpful if you’re new to the world of travel rewards. Remember, knowledge is power, and the more you understand about how the airline industry works, the better positioned you’ll be to get the maximum value out of your points and miles.

It’s important to note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not of any bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain. This editorial disclaimer is a reminder to always do your own research and make informed decisions based on your individual needs and preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different types of flight classes.

Different airlines offer different types of flight classes. Generally, there are four types of flight classes: Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First Class. The classes differ in terms of comfort, amenities, and ticket price.

What are the codes for economy class?

The codes for economy class vary depending on the airline. Some commonly used codes for economy class include Y, B, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, and X.

What are the codes for business class?

The codes for business class also vary depending on the airline. Some commonly used codes for business class include C, D, I, J, and Z.

man sitting on gang chair with feet on luggage looking at airplane

What is the meaning of class M on a flight?

Class M is a fare class that is used by some airlines to represent a specific type of economy class ticket. The ticket price for class M is typically lower than other economy class tickets, but it may come with certain restrictions or limitations.

What is the meaning of class Y on a flight?

Class Y is a fare class that is used by some airlines to represent a specific type of economy class ticket. The ticket price for class Y is typically higher than other economy class tickets, but it may come with more flexibility or benefits.

What is the meaning of class O on a flight?

Class O is a fare class that is used by some airlines to represent a specific type of economy class ticket. The ticket price for class O is typically lower than other economy class tickets, but it may come with certain restrictions or limitations

plane window overlooking sea of clouds

Best Spring Getaways in the US: Top Destinations for a Seasonal Escape

As winter thaws into the vibrant bloom of spring, travelers across the United States begin

man in black jacket sitting on the road during daytime

Safest European Countries for Travel: Top Picks for a Secure Holiday

Learn about the safest European countries determined by a variety of factors such as crime rate, living conditions, security, and natural disasters.

white and brown concrete lighthouse near brown rock formation during daytime

Best Things to Do in Bulgaria: A Traveler’s Ultimate Guide

Learn about the best things to do in Bulgaria, from natural wonders, to festivals, to art attractions and the best cuisine to try

woman walking on street surrounded by buildings

How to Travel Safely in 2024: Essential Tips for Health and Security

Get all of the details on how to travel safely in 2024. Learn about new travel risks and dangers to protect your self.

woman swimming under water

Waterproof Watches Under $100: Top Affordable Picks for Durability and Style

Check out our list and reviews of the best waterproof watches under $100.

woman sitting on white wall outdoor

Travel Guide to Detroit: Unveiling the Motor City’s Best Kept Secrets

Embarking on a journey to Detroit offers an opportunity to explore a city steeped in

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Travel Codex

Travel Codex

Your Resource for Better Travel

Where to Find Booking Class Inventory for Your Next Flight

' src=

Finding published fares is not always very useful in my view. If I’m trying to anticipate changes in the cost of a flight, I’m more interested in inventory. That figure will change day by day and between flights on the same day. Unless there’s something unusual about the fare, it probably applies to all flights. I just need to find flights that have better availability and thus access to cheaper fares.

You can also use booking class inventory to predict your ability to make a flight change or confirm an upgrade. If two flights have the same price, for example, more upgrade inventory — or simply more unsold seats of any kind — might sway your decision.

ExpertFlyer and KVS Availability Tool

The two easiest ways to access booking class inventory data are with subscription services called ExpertFlyer and KVS Tool . I prefer ExpertFlyer, which costs $99 per year or $9.99 per month and is a web-based service you can access from any device. The alternative, KVS Tool, is a PC application that runs within its own window. I have paid for and used both and recommend you read my detailed guide to using ExpertFlyer .

You could also get a Basic subscription to ExpertFlyer for $4.99 per month and still get fare booking class information but miss out on several other valuable features, so I don’t recommend this option. KVS Tool also provides booking class inventory at every membership level, which range from $35 to $75 per year. There is also an option as low as $15 for just two months.

Review: Sleep N’ Fly Sleep Lounge Doha, a Priority Pass Lounge

BCD Travel is a German agency that provides free access to flight inventory, a tip that comes via View from the Wing after it was originally published on InsideFlyer . Similar free tools like FlightStats (and even ITA Matrix for a time) were once available but have since been discontinued. BCD Travel is the only free tool I know of that works across a large number of carriers.

booking class travel meaning

You can enter the origin and destination cities and even a few preferred carriers if you want. When you get a list of search results, click on an individual flight to learn how many seats remain in each booking class.

booking class travel meaning

United Airlines

United Airlines provides an “ expert mode ” that you must activate in your MileagePlus profile before using. Once it’s turned on you will be able to view details on any flight in the search results and see a breakdown of remaining inventory on that flight. This is particularly helpful when thinking of booking an upgrade-eligible fare, as I detail in the post linked to above.

booking class travel meaning

Other Airlines

Most other airline websites will display which booking class is used by your ticket, but they won’t necessarily show all the booking classes and how much inventory exists at every level.  You also might have trouble requesting a specific booking class and could get stuck with the cheapest one in that cabin unless you call an agent to book over the phone.

You could potentially get the number of seats left in a booking class by changing your search to add one person at a time until the price goes up in your results. However, it’s annoying and time-consuming.

Read This Next

booking class travel meaning

About Scott Mackenzie

Scott is a former scientist and business student who created Travel Codex to unravel the complexity of travel loyalty programs. After 11 years in Seattle, he now lives in Austin with his wife and flies over 100,000 miles every year.

BoardingArea

What is a booking class?

You can find your booking class on your electronic ticket.

NZ domestic flights

Y, B, M, H, Q, V, W, T, L, S, G, K, P, F, X

seat / seat+bag / flexichange / flexirefund

Flights between New Zealand & Australia/Pacific Islands

Business Premier

Smart Saver

Premium Economy

Q, V, W, T, L, S, G, K, P, F, X

Long haul flights

Global Flexi

Global Saver

Global Sale

Q, V, W, T, L, S, P, F, X

Everything you need to know about British Airways’ fare classes

Aaron Hurd

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information.

Have you ever heard someone say something along the lines of, "I'm flying in J" and wondered what on earth they could mean?

Or, have you checked your flight on ExpertFlyer and been surprised by the sea of letters showing for each British Airways flight when you know there are only four actual classes the airline flies — First , Club World / Club Suite (business), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy)?

Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter , and to ensure you never miss anything, subscribe to our daily newsletter .

booking class travel meaning

Why so many fare classes?

British Airways has 22 fare classes and four redemption classes. Revenue fare classes are bookable for cash whilst redemption fare classes are for Avios or mileage bookings.

Broadly speaking, the different fare classes within each cabin correlate both to the cost of the ticket as well as the flexibility of the fare offered. The lower classes usually sell first, so as a flight gets busier, the lower classes will fill up and BA will only sell higher, more expensive fare classes. Typically, the closer to your travel date, the higher the fare class — either because the plane has filled up anyway or because BA might only sell higher fare classes closer to the departure date, as it knows it can command higher prices for last-minute bookings.

BA's fare classes break down as follows:

  • First: F (flexible) and A (discounted) as revenue fare classes and Z for reward redemptions;
  • Club World (business class): J, C, D, R and I (with I being the cheapest) for revenue and U for reward bookings;
  • World Traveller Plus (premium economy), W, E and T for revenue and P for reward bookings; and
  • World Traveller (economy): Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S, N, Q, O, G and P for revenue and X for reward bookings.

It's worth noting that based on which fare class you're booked in, the number of Avios you'll get in return will vary.

booking class travel meaning

The table above shows the breakdown of Avios and Tier Points for BA's different fare classes. For example with the lowest economy classes (G, O and Q) you'll earn 25% of the miles flown and 25% of the Tier Points. A mid-range fare, such as this example roundtrip itinerary from Newark (EWR) to London (LHR), will earn you half of the miles flown. In this case, since it's an L class Basic Economy, you would earn 3,458 Avios.

booking class travel meaning

If I book the same flight but choose a Premium Economy seat (a T class fare), I would earn 100% of the miles flown in Avios, which in this case would be 6,916.

booking class travel meaning

It's also worth noting that G class, one of the most heavily discounted BA fare classes in economy, is reserved for travel agent bookings , including BA holidays. That's why it sometimes pays to add a car or hotel to your booking — that way, you might be able to book into G even if booking the flight on its own would only let you book into a higher fare class.

booking class travel meaning

What the numbers mean

In the example above, the sea of 9s doesn't mean that there are only nine seats available in each class. Nine is the highest number that can be displayed for BA (for some airlines it's seven), and the fare classes are all related. For example, if you book nine seats in O class, it's highly likely that there won't be nine available in Q and that number goes down. That's why you might see BA offer four seats for sale on a flight when there's actually only one left .

Looking at a week-long trip to New York in February next year, a return ticket in Y, which is a fully flexible economy class, costs £2,291. The same ticket can be had for £301 if choosing the cheapest option, O class. The latter does not allow any bags or seat selection, and nor does it allow any changes, whilst the former is fully flexible, as the passenger can change the time, date and receive a full refund if it needs to be cancelled.

Despite the £2,000 price difference between the two tickets, the seat and food for those two tickets would be exactly the same. Of course, there are good and bad seats in each — our guides help you pick the best seats in any BA cabin .

The crazy thing about the fully flexible example economy price is that discounted premium economy can be had for £587, and even discounted business class can be had for £1,333 — a saving of £700 from that fully flexible economy seat. Now, that's a sale price (and a decent one from London ) and has no flexibility. In other words, you couldn't change dates nor get a refund.

[UNVERIFIED CONTENT] Aerial view of one of Terminal 5 buildings of London Heathrow Airport and Boeing 747 and 777 aircrafts operated by British Airways at the gates on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. (Photo by Grzegorz Bajor/Getty Images)

Bottom line

Understanding fare classes and how you can use them in conjunction with ExpertFlyer can help you find cheaper flights. If the particular flight or day you are looking for doesn't have the price you were expecting or hoping for, it's worth having a browse on ExpertFlyer to find a date that has lower fare classes available. In addition to also helping you understand what you'll earn on the flight, you'll be able to impress your AvGeek friends at the next dinner party.

Lufthansa Booking Classes: Business, Economy, First

Lufthansa has a range of different booking classes for its various fare types. This includes

Economy Class

Premium economy class, business class, first class, lufthansa booking class codes.

The Lufthansa booking class codes are as follows

  • Economy Class: B, G, H, K, L, M, N, Q, S, T, V, W, Y
  • Premium Economy Class: E, N, and P
  • Business Class: C, D, J, and Z
  • First Class: A and F

Lufthansa offers up to 4 fare types in its international economy cabin class, depending on the route flown. They have the following classes:

  • Economy Light
  • Economy Basic
  • Economy Basic Plus
  • Economy Flex

The booking codes for Lufthansa’s Economy Class are B, G, H, K, L, M, N, Q, S, T, V, W, Y.

* For Germany – USA flights only

Lufthansa’s Premium Economy Class has three different fare types:

  • Premium Economy Basic
  • Premium Economy Basic Plus
  • Premium Economy Flex

The booking codes for Lufthansa’s Premium Economy Class are E, N, and P.

The main difference between the Lufthansa Premium Economy types is whether you can rebook or cancel and if you have to pay for such changes. The mileage credit differs with Premium Economy Flex by an extra 50%.

Lufthansa’s Business Class has several booking classes too:

  • Business Class Basic
  • Business Class Basic Plus
  • Business Class Flex

The booking codes for Business Class are: C, D, J, and Z.

Again, the main differences between the various Business Class options are to do with the fees for rebooking and cancellation as well as the extra credit for mileage. You can also upgrade if you have Business Class Flex.

Lufthansa’s First Class also has a range of different classes on offer:

  • First Basic
  • First Basic Plus
  • First Basic Plus II

These options are again just differentiated with the rebooking and refund costs, as everything else is the same in this case.

For reference, the First Class booking codes are: A and F.

About the Author Roger Timbrook

Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!

  • Overview Guide
  • 1 Week Itinerary
  • Train Journeys
  • Epic Drives
  • Stunning Lakes
  • Historic Castles
  • Lauterbrunnen
  • Grindelwald
  • Chocolate Tours
  • Swiss National Park
  • Majestic Mountains
  • Spectacular Waterfalls
  • Famous Things
  • Tasty Fondue
  • 10 Day Itinerary
  • Cherry Blossoms
  • Tokyo Shrines
  • Dos and Don’ts
  • Osaka Guide
  • Osaka Itinerary
  • Osaka or Kyoto
  • Kyoto Day Trips
  • Matsumoto Castle
  • Tokyo Luxury Hotels
  • Island Hopping
  • Best Campsites
  • Driving Tips
  • Beaune, France
  • Barcelona Itinerary
  • Spain Itinerary
  • Greece Itinerary
  • Italy Road Trips
  • Berlin Day Trips
  • Norway Northern Lights
  • Netherlands National Parks
  • Mostar, Bosnia
  • Best Airlines
  • Midwest Ski Resorts
  • Florida RV Parks
  • Washington RV Parks
  • Oregon RV Parks
  • Utah Camping
  • Texas Camping
  • Chicago National Parks
  • East Coast National Parks
  • Colorado National Parks
  • Joshua Tree
  • Yellowstone
  • Alberta Hikes
  • Flashlights
  • Water Filters
  • Sleeping Pads
  • Solar Lanterns
  • Tent Brands
  • 4-Person Tents
  • 4 Seasons Tents
  • Backpacking Tents
  • Beach Tents
  • Cabin Tents
  • Multi-room Tents
  • Pop-up Tents
  • Truck Bed Tents
  • Underwear (Men)
  • Backpacks Under $100
  • Microspikes
  • Boonie Hats
  • In The World
  • New Zealand
  • Hardisde Luggage
  • Lightweight Luggage
  • Luggage Sets
  • Spinner Luggage
  • Durable Suitcases
  • Duffel Bags
  • Kids Luggage
  • Teen Luggage
  • Space Saving Luggage
  • Business Carry-Ons
  • Garment Carry-Ons
  • Suitcases Under $50
  • Travel Briefcase
  • Zipperless Suitcases
  • Rolling Briefcase
  • Luggage Straps
  • Luxury Brands
  • American Tourister
  • AmazonBasics
  • Delsey Chatelet
  • Anti-Theft Backpacks
  • Backpacks Under $50
  • Baby Carrier Backpacks
  • Cooler Backpacks
  • Backpacking Backpacks
  • Climbing Backpacks
  • Backpacks for Back Pain
  • Beach Backpacks
  • Hiking Backpacks
  • Business Travel Backpacks
  • Laptop Backpacks
  • Backpacks for Tablets
  • Commuter Backpacks
  • Travel Backpacks (Men)
  • Travel Backpacks (Women)
  • Waterproof Backpacks
  • Wheeled Backpacks
  • Down Jackets
  • Down Parkas
  • Fleece Jackets
  • Hardshell Jackets
  • Rain Jackets
  • Softshell Jackets
  • Eco Friendly Jackets
  • Gore Tex Alternatives
  • Heated Jackets
  • Lightweight Jackets
  • 3-in-1 Waterproof Jackets
  • Parajumper Jackets
  • Rain Poncho
  • Ski Jackets
  • Travel Hoodies
  • Travel Jackets
  • Winter Coats
  • Helly Hansen
  • Mammut Jackets
  • Patagonia Nanopuff
  • Survival Jackets
  • Flower Captions
  • Waterfall Captions
  • Tree Captions
  • Sunset Captions
  • Sunflower Captions
  • Rainbow Captions
  • Paddle Boarding Captions
  • Hot Air Balloon Captions
  • Kayaking Captions
  • Airplane Captions For Instagram
  • Forest Captions

If you still have questions or prefer to get help directly from an agent, please submit a request. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Please fill out the contact form below and we will reply as soon as possible.

  • Business Management & Operations
  • Operations, Project, & Supply Chain Management

Booking Class - Explained

What is a Booking Class?

booking class travel meaning

Written by Jason Gordon

Updated at June 26th, 2021

  • Marketing, Advertising, Sales & PR Principles of Marketing Sales Advertising Public Relations SEO, Social Media, Direct Marketing
  • Accounting, Taxation, and Reporting Managerial & Financial Accounting & Reporting Business Taxation
  • Professionalism & Career Development
  • Law, Transactions, & Risk Management Government, Legal System, Administrative Law, & Constitutional Law Legal Disputes - Civil & Criminal Law Agency Law HR, Employment, Labor, & Discrimination Business Entities, Corporate Governance & Ownership Business Transactions, Antitrust, & Securities Law Real Estate, Personal, & Intellectual Property Commercial Law: Contract, Payments, Security Interests, & Bankruptcy Consumer Protection Insurance & Risk Management Immigration Law Environmental Protection Law Inheritance, Estates, and Trusts
  • Business Management & Operations Operations, Project, & Supply Chain Management Strategy, Entrepreneurship, & Innovation Business Ethics & Social Responsibility Global Business, International Law & Relations Business Communications & Negotiation Management, Leadership, & Organizational Behavior
  • Economics, Finance, & Analytics Economic Analysis & Monetary Policy Research, Quantitative Analysis, & Decision Science Investments, Trading, and Financial Markets Banking, Lending, and Credit Industry Business Finance, Personal Finance, and Valuation Principles

Table of Contents

What is a fair basis code, booking class, and reference number.

A Booking class is an indicator of traveling class presented in a traveler's fare code. 

A fare basis or fare code is an alphabetic letter or numbers (numeric codes) through which a fare type is identified by airlines. The fare code also contains rules applicable to different fare types or tickets. 

Usually, fare codes have specific patterns that have been used overtime to differentiate a fare ticket from another. Many airlines have also set standards guiding their fare basis codes (fare codes). 

Through the fare basis codes, travel agents and airline staff are able to know the status or class of booking and rules that apply to the booking class.

Back to : OPERATIONS, LOGISTICS, & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

How is  Fair Basis Code, Booking Class, and Reference Number Used?

All data basis codes begin with booking class. The booking class is basically a letter that reflects the status of an individual's booking.

A typical fare basis will be between 3 to 7 characters, which might be numbers or letters. There are some cases where we can have up to 8. 

 The International Air Transport Association have certain standards that define booking codes but these standards are not strictly adhered to by many airlines. Some airlines set their standards for setting fare basis codes. Although, some booking codes retained the same meaning across all airlines. 

Examples of these codes are; F which means full-fare first class, J means full-fare business class, W means full-fare Premium economy while Y is full-fare economy class.

There are specific codes that airlines use for modern fares. These are not standards, they are called airline-specific codes that airlines use for short-term use. Examples of airline-specific codes are;

  • Codes that indicate common name for a fare that an airline uses.
  • Airlines use certain alphanumeric codes to indicate the percentage of discount from full fare that airline staff and travel agency staff can enjoy. 
  • Industry Discount (ID) and Agent Discount (AD) used for an airline staff or a staff from a travel agency.
  • There are codes set aside for military personnel and federal government employees.
  • Codes that limit certain fares to a particular company such as negotiated fares.

Academic Research on Booking Class and Reference Number

  • Modelling choice of flight and booking class-a study using stated preference and revealed preference data , Algers, S., & Beser, M. (2001). International Journal of Services Technology and Management , 2 (1-2), 28-45. 
  • Airline revenue management: A simulation of dynamic capacity management , Frank, M., Friedemann, M., Mederer, M., & Schroeder, A. (2006). Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management , 5 (1), 62-71. 
  • The potential impact of IATA's New Distribution Capability (NDC) on revenue management and pricing , Westermann, D. (2013). Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management , 12 (6), 565-568. 
  • Classification of reference models: a methodology and its application , Fettke, P., & Loos, P. (2003). Information systems and e-business management , 1 (1), 35-53.
  • Designing new ways for selling airline tickets , Vukmirovic, M., Szymczak, M., Gawinecki, M., Ganzha, M., & Paprzycki, M. (2007). Informatica , 31 (1). 
  • Principles for simulations in revenue management , Frank, M., Friedemann, M., & Schrder, A. (2008). Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management , 7 (1), 7-16.
  • Modeling aggregate air-travel itinerary shares: logit model development at a major US airline , Coldren, G. M., Koppelman, F. S., Kasturirangan, K., & Mukherjee, A. (2003). Journal of Air Transport Management , 9 (6), 361-369. 
  • Class-of-service mapping for QoS: a statistical signature-based approach to IP traffic classification , Roughan, M., Sen, S., Spatscheck, O., & Duffield, N. (2004, October). In Proceedings of the 4th ACM SIGCOMM conference on Internet measurement (pp. 135-148). ACM. 
  • Design of composable services , Feuerlicht, G. (2008, December). In International Conference on Service-Oriented Computing (pp. 15-27). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. 
  • Requirements analysis and UML use cases and class diagrams , Vidgen, R. (2003). Computing & control engineering journal , 14 (2), 12-17. 
  • Revenue management for air cargo space with supply uncertainty , Huang, K., & Hsu, W. (2005, September). In Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies (Vol. 5, No. 2005, pp. 570-580).

Related Articles

  • Scrum - Explained
  • Office of Export Licensing - Explained
  • Dock Receipt - Explained
  • Procurement - Explained
  • Go to navigation
  • Go to main content
  • Go to search
  • Go to end of page

Main content

Frequently asked questions about booking and travel classes, booking classes, what is a booking class.

Austrian Airlines offers tickets in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class.

Our travel class tariffs differ in particular in terms of conditions, service and price. On European routes, we also offer you three different fare options in Economy Class (“Light”, “Classic” and “Flex”), which differ particularly in terms of rebookings, refunds and price.

Within each tariff, there are always several booking classes on all routes, which differ further in terms of rebookability, refundability, advance booking deadlines, minimum and maximum length of stay and price (whereby advance booking deadline, minimum and maximum length of stay and price can vary according to route). You can find the details in the fare regulations.

The amount of the ​Miles & More mileage credit also depends on the respective booking class and fare option.

Where do I see my booking class?

You can find the booking classes during the online booking on austrian.com in the detailed information of the selected flight in "Your Selection" on the right side of the screen. Furthermore the booking class is also stated in the fare regulations - you will find these in the summary via the "Buy Now" button as well as in the booking confirmation on your screen and which is also sent to you via your contact email address. You can view and, if necessary, change the booking class of your flight at any time in the online management of your booking via "My Booking" after you have entered the relevant booking code.

Which fare is right for which customer?

For private passengers, who do not require flexibility and are travelling only with hand luggage, the " Light " fare is the best and cheapest option in many cases - for example for a weekend trip.

The " Classic " fare is recommended for a family vacation as it includes advanced seat reservation, free baggage allowance and a rebooking option (for a fee).

Whether the better choice for the corporate customer is the "Classic"or "Flex" fare will depend on the needs of the company and how flexible the travel plans are. If the time or place of the meeting could change, the business traveller might want to consider choosing a " Flex " fare – which, in most cases, is cheaper and includes a free¹ rebooking option as well as a refund option (for a fee). Priority boarding will be offered for all passengers on Austrian Airlines’ operated flights at European airports within the "Flex" fare.

1 = There is no rebooking fee but an additional charge may apply if you rebook to a higher booking class or fail to comply with the minimum stay. In the event of a route change the fare will be recalculated for the new route.

Which booking classes are there on European routes?

European routes are those where the departure and destination are both located within Europe within the meaning of the IATA (International Air Transport Association) definition, meaning in European states in a geographical sense as well as some states in North Africa and the Caucasus.

Booking classes on European routes

1 = Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Which booking classes are there on non-European routes?

Non-European routes¹ are those which either have

  • a departure point or
  • an arrival point
  • as well as a departure and arrival point

outside of Europe as per the IATA (International Air Transport Association) definition.

Booking classes on non-European routes

1 = All destinations except Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldava, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal (including Azores and Madeira), Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

2 = not available for North America and Japan

Travel classes

I booked an economy light ticket. will i not receive the same comfort options and services onboard.

No, as an Economy Light customer you will receive the same Economy service onboard. The fares differ in terms of free baggage allowance and conditions for seat reservations, rebookings and refunds, but not in terms of service on board.

Which seats are available in Economy Class on long-haul flights?

What are the main differences between premium economy and economy class.

In Premium Economy Class you travel in a more comfortable seat than in Economy Class, are served a three or four course menu and can check in two bags.

Is the Premium Economy Class area separate in the aircraft?

Yes, the Premium Economy Class is separated on board from both Business as well as Economy Class by floor-to-ceiling partitions.

What catering arrangements will I find in Premium Economy Class?

In Premium Economy Class we will serve you a welcome drink followed by a three or four course menu with a selection of three main courses. Depending on the time of day, you will be served breakfast or a snack before landing.

Are there additional perks in Premium Economy Class for frequent flyers?

Yes, passengers with Senator and HON Circle Status can even take a third bag up to 23 kg with them.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

GSA Logo

  • Explore sell to government
  • Ways you can sell to government
  • How to access contract opportunities
  • Conduct market research
  • Register your business
  • Certify as a small business
  • Become a schedule holder
  • Market your business
  • Research active solicitations
  • Respond to a solicitation
  • What to expect during the award process
  • Comply with contractual requirements
  • Handle contract modifications
  • Monitor past performance evaluations
  • Explore real estate
  • 3D-4D building information modeling
  • Art in architecture | Fine arts
  • Computer-aided design standards
  • Commissioning
  • Design excellence
  • Engineering
  • Project management information system
  • Spatial data management
  • Facilities operations
  • Smart buildings
  • Tenant services
  • Utility services
  • Water quality management
  • Explore historic buildings
  • Heritage tourism
  • Historic preservation policy, tools and resources
  • Historic building stewardship
  • Videos, pictures, posters and more
  • NEPA implementation
  • Courthouse program
  • Land ports of entry
  • Prospectus library
  • Regional buildings
  • Renting property
  • Visiting public buildings
  • Real property disposal
  • Reimbursable services (RWA)
  • Rental policy and procedures
  • Site selection and relocation
  • For businesses seeking opportunities
  • For federal customers
  • For workers in federal buildings
  • Explore policy and regulations
  • Acquisition management policy
  • Aviation management policy
  • Information technology policy
  • Real property management policy
  • Relocation management policy
  • Travel management policy
  • Vehicle management policy
  • Federal acquisition regulations
  • Federal management regulations
  • Federal travel regulations
  • GSA acquisition manual
  • Managing the federal rulemaking process
  • Explore small business
  • Explore business models
  • Research the federal market
  • Forecast of contracting opportunities
  • Events and contacts
  • Explore travel
  • Per diem rates
  • Transportation (airfare rates, POV rates, etc.)
  • State tax exemption
  • Travel charge card
  • Conferences and meetings
  • E-gov travel service (ETS)
  • Travel category schedule
  • Federal travel regulation
  • Travel policy
  • Explore technology
  • Cloud computing services
  • Cybersecurity products and services
  • Data center services
  • Hardware products and services
  • Professional IT services
  • Software products and services
  • Telecommunications and network services
  • Work with small businesses
  • Governmentwide acquisition contracts
  • MAS information technology
  • Software purchase agreements
  • Cybersecurity
  • Digital strategy
  • Emerging citizen technology
  • Federal identity, credentials, and access management
  • Mobile government
  • Technology modernization fund
  • Explore about us
  • Annual reports
  • Mission and strategic goals
  • Role in presidential transitions
  • Get an internship
  • Launch your career
  • Elevate your professional career
  • Discover special hiring paths
  • Events and training
  • Agency blog
  • Congressional testimony
  • GSA does that podcast
  • News releases
  • Leadership directory
  • Staff directory
  • Office of the administrator
  • Federal Acquisition Service
  • Public Buildings Service
  • Staff offices
  • Board of Contract Appeals
  • Office of Inspector General
  • Region 1 | New England
  • Region 2 | Northeast and Caribbean
  • Region 3 | Mid-Atlantic
  • Region 4 | Southeast Sunbelt
  • Region 5 | Great Lakes
  • Region 6 | Heartland
  • Region 7 | Greater Southwest
  • Region 8 | Rocky Mountain
  • Region 9 | Pacific Rim
  • Region 10 | Northwest/Arctic
  • Region 11 | National Capital Region
  • Per Diem Lookup

City Pair Program (CPP)

The OMB-designated Best-in-Class City Pair Program procures and manages discounted air passenger transportation services for federal government travelers. At its inception in 1980 this service covered only 11 markets, and now covers over 13,000 markets. Today, CPP offers four different contract fares.

Fare finder

  • Search for contract fares

Note: All fares are listed one-way and are valid in either direction. Disclaimer - taxes and fees may apply to the final price

Taxes and fees may apply to the final price

Your agency’s authorized travel management system will show the final price, excluding baggage fees. Commercial baggage fees can be found on the Airline information page.

Domestic fares include all existing Federal, State, and local taxes, as well as airport maintenance fees and other administrative fees. Domestic fares do not include fees such as passenger facility charges, segment fees, and passenger security service fees.

International

International fares do not include taxes and fees, but include fuel surcharge fees.

Note for international fares: City codes, such as Washington (WAS), are used for international routes.

Federal travelers should use their authorized travel management system when booking airfare.

  • E-Gov Travel Service for civilian agencies.
  • Defense Travel System for the Department of Defense.

If these services are not fully implemented, travelers should use these links:

  • Travel Management Center for civilian agencies.
  • Defense Travel Management Office for the Department of Defense.

Contract Awards CSV

Download the FY24 City Pair Contract Awards [CSV - 1 MB] to have them available offline. The file updates after 11:59 pm Eastern Time on standard business days. Previous fiscal year contract awards can be found on the Fiscal documents and information page . To read more about the contract award highlights, please see our Award highlights .

Instructions for the FY24 CSV file

All fares are listed one-way and are valid in either direction. In the CSV file, Origin and Destination are in alphabetical order regardless of travel direction. The Origin is the airport code (domestic travel) or city code (international travel) that comes first alphabetically and the Destination is the airport or city code that comes second alphabetically.

For example, you are traveling from Washington, DC to London, England. You know the city codes are WAS and LON respectively. The city code LON comes first alphabetically and WAS comes second alphabetically. To find the contract fares, you filter:

City Pair Program benefits and info

CPP offers government travelers extra features and flexibility when planning official travel, in addition to maintaining deep program discounts. These include:

  • Fully refundable tickets.
  • No advance purchase required.
  • No change fees or cancelation penalties.
  • Stable prices which enables accurate travel budgeting.
  • No blackout dates.
  • Fares priced on one-way routes, permitting agencies to plan multiple destinations.

GSA Best-in-class logo

CPP is a mandatory use, government-wide program, designated as a Best-In-Class procurement by OMB. The program delivers best value airfares, and ensures federal agencies effectively and efficiently meet their mission.

CPP saves the federal government time and money by maintaining one government-wide air program. At the acquisition level CPP delivers data analysis, compliance, and uses strategic sourcing to optimize its service.

PER DIEM LOOK-UP

1 choose a location.

Error, The Per Diem API is not responding. Please try again later.

No results could be found for the location you've entered.

Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Territories and Possessions are set by the Department of Defense .

Rates for foreign countries are set by the State Department .

2 Choose a date

Rates are available between 10/1/2021 and 09/30/2024.

The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.

Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.

Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."

Per diem localities with county definitions shall include "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."

When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.

COMMENTS

  1. The Different Types of Flight Classes and Codes (Airfares)

    P = First Class. R = First Class Suites. If you're flying domestically on a flight anywhere in the United States, the code "F" usually refers to a seat on a two-cabin plane. The "P" code usually stands for Premium and is used for seats on a three-cabin plane that involves a higher class of service.

  2. What airline fare classes tell you about your ticket

    Y, H, K, M, L, G, V, S, N, Q, O and E: economy. B: basic economy. While these fare classes represent all the tickets you can buy directly with cold hard cash (i.e., revenue fares), you'll see that ExpertFlyer gives us a bit more information, including certain upgrade and award fare codes.

  3. Airline Booking Codes Explained

    Booking Class. The first (and arguably most important) aspect of your fare basis code is the booking class. In the example above ( AYAHJNFC ), the first letter " A " corresponds to American Airlines' A fare class, which is shown in the second row here: AA fare classes chart. Image Credit: American Airlines.

  4. A definitive guide to the different flight classes

    Air travel has changed a lot since the first, very basic commercial flight took to the skies in 1914. Now there's a plethora of choices for customers, with most airlines offering four main cabin classes: Economy, Premium Economy, Business and First Class. The main differences between these classes tend to be the cost of the flight and the extra perks and amenities you get on board - though ...

  5. A Brief Guide To Airline Ticket Fare Classes & Codes

    The codes have a letter and a number. Each of the above fare classes is identified with a one-letter code: Y = A full-fare economy class ticket. W= A full-fare premium economy class ticket. J= A full-fare business class ticket. F= A full fare first class ticket. There are various other letters to describe lower fares of the same class as well.

  6. What the Airfare Class of Service Letters Mean

    Class of Service Letters. When you see a group of letters on your flight ticket or receipt, they usually refer to the class or kind of ticket you bought as well as what perks or extra costs may come with that fare. Though many of the airlines have similar class indicators, these are not universal so be sure to always double check your ticket.

  7. Booking class code

    Booking class matches the seat in an airplane with price and privileges. It is always indicated by one letter code from A to Z. When I say privileges it means that passengers with the same travel class can have tickets with different booking classes. For example, both can have Premium Economy tickets and one of them is with W booking code and ...

  8. What you need to know about United's fare classes

    Booking a flight in the "W" fare class or higher requires 40 PlusPoints, while lower-priced fare classes require double that amount. These fare class codes also come into play when making flight changes. If only a higher fare class is available, you may need to pay the price difference, even when using United's same-day change policy.

  9. What Is a Fare Class?

    What Is a Fare Class? When most people think of "class" in terms of airplane travel, they consider the class of service, such as first, business, or coach. But airlines organize classes with a much more complex structure, with letters representing a "fare class," not only a cabin. These letters are often tied to a particular class of service ...

  10. EXPLAINED: What is a Fare Class

    The fare class is just the first letter of an alphanumeric code called the fare basis. The code effectively expands and codifies the type of ticket purchased into an easy format for airline staff and travel agents to quickly access the fare rules for a ticket. If you want to read more the article is here. - Advertisement -.

  11. How American Airlines Fare Classes, Codes Work

    American Airlines uses the following booking classes for revenue (non-award) fares: Basic economy: B. Main Cabin: O, Q, N, S, G, V, M, L, K, H, Y. Premium economy: P, W. Business class: I, R, D, C ...

  12. Fare basis code

    The meaning of these codes is not often known by the passenger, but conveys information to airline staff; for example, they may indicate that a ticket was fully paid, discounted, part of an excursion package, or purchased through a loyalty scheme. Fare codes start with a letter called a booking class (indicating travel class among other things ...

  13. Fare Classes & Tickets

    Ticket Currencies. Fares for travel originating in most of the world's major industrialized countries are filed and quoted in the primary currency of those countries and in U.S. dollars for other countries. Eligible Pay with Miles customers can log in and choose to have fares quoted in U.S. dollars, regardless of the travel origin country ...

  14. Emirates fare types, booking classes, and seat types explained

    Emirates fare types. Within each class of service (economy, business, first), Emirates offers four types of fares, each with its own change and upgrade options. Special fares cost the least and are the least flexible. Saver fares cost a bit more than Saver fares but have fewer restrictions. Flex fares earn more frequent flyer miles, cost fewer ...

  15. Airline Fare Classes: A Guide to Understanding Ticket Pricing

    Understanding airline fare classes can help travelers navigate the complex world of airline ticket pricing. Airline fare classes vary from airline to airline and are further divisions of service classes. Knowing the terminology can be helpful when searching for award tickets or booking upgradeable fares. Airline Fare classes basics

  16. Lufthansa Economy: Booking classes, fare types, miles, & baggage

    Lufthansa booking classes Y and B represent full-fare economy tickets. These classes have a higher priority for boarding, upgrades, and / or standby flights. They also generally include free cancellation and refunds / changes without a fee. Booking classes Y and B earn 150% of actual miles flown.

  17. Where to Find Booking Class Inventory for Your Flight

    ExpertFlyer and KVS Availability Tool. The two easiest ways to access booking class inventory data are with subscription services called ExpertFlyer and KVS Tool. I prefer ExpertFlyer, which costs $99 per year or $9.99 per month and is a web-based service you can access from any device. The alternative, KVS Tool, is a PC application that runs ...

  18. Finding your booking class

    Long haul flights; Booking class Service class Fare type; C, D: Business Premier: Global Flexi: Z, J: Business Premier: Global Saver: R: Business Premier: Business

  19. Miles & More: What is a booking class?

    This boarding pass is in Business (C class) - whatever it says on yours where the 2 is, that's your booking class: This boarding pass stub is for Y, one of the Economy booking classes: If you have your itinerary, e-ticket, confirmation email, or receipt, you may also find your booking class on there, though the web site isn't clear about where.

  20. Everything you need to know about British Airways' fare classes

    The lower classes usually sell first, so as a flight gets busier, the lower classes will fill up and BA will only sell higher, more expensive fare classes. Typically, the closer to your travel date, the higher the fare class — either because the plane has filled up anyway or because BA might only sell higher fare classes closer to the ...

  21. Lufthansa Booking Classes: Business, Economy, First ⋆ Expert World Travel

    Lufthansa's Business Class has several booking classes too: Business Class Basic; Business Class Basic Plus; Business Class Flex; The booking codes for Business Class are: C, D, J, and Z. Again, the main differences between the various Business Class options are to do with the fees for rebooking and cancellation as well as the extra credit ...

  22. Booking Class

    A Booking class is an indicator of traveling class presented in a traveler's fare code. A fare basis or fare code is an alphabetic letter or numbers (numeric codes) through which a fare type is identified by airlines. The fare code also contains rules applicable to different fare types or tickets. Usually, fare codes have specific patterns that ...

  23. FAQ Booking & Travel Classes

    Frequently asked questions about Booking and Travel Classes. Booking classes. What is a booking class? ... European routes are those where the departure and destination are both located within Europe within the meaning of the IATA (International Air Transport Association) definition, meaning in European states in a geographical sense as well as ...

  24. City Pair Program (CPP)

    The OMB-designated Best-in-Class City Pair Program procures and manages discounted air passenger transportation services for federal government travelers. At its inception in 1980 this service covered only 11 markets, and now covers over 13,000 markets. Today, CPP offers four different contract fares. Fare finder