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Code signification: fare or cabin ?



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 23rd, 2004, 08:55 PM
Joe
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Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

I recently bought a return ticket from France to French Indies, coded
"First Class", displayed "First Class" by QPX (ITA Software) pricing
system and sold with the A fare code ("discounted first class"
according to IATA resolution 728). I later checked my itinerary with
my reservation code (www.checkmytrip.com) and found out that I will be
seated in coach.
My travel agent informed me that the airline is not operating first
class anymore on this route, but (international standard) business
class, economy and a kind of "enhanced economy" in a separate cabin
called "Alizee". So far my seat is not allocated and it is not
possible to know exactly were I will be seated ("Alizee" according to
my TA).

I have a few questions:

How come that fare codes do not exactly match cabin classes ? The use
of the "A" fare code by the airline (A for "Alizee" instead of A for
"discounted first class" according to IATA rules seems to be
misleading software systems - and passengers !).

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?
  #2  
Old March 23rd, 2004, 09:20 PM
Not the Karl Orff
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Posts: n/a
Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

In article ,
(Joe) wrote:

I recently bought a return ticket from France to French Indies, coded
"First Class", displayed "First Class" by QPX (ITA Software) pricing
system and sold with the A fare code ("discounted first class"
according to IATA resolution 728). I later checked my itinerary with
my reservation code (
www.checkmytrip.com) and found out that I will be
seated in coach.


well, maybe checkmytrip.com doesn;t know what A class is, or associates
it with a economy fare. Though A class is usually discounted FC.

My travel agent informed me that the airline is not operating first
class anymore on this route, but (international standard) business
class, economy and a kind of "enhanced economy" in a separate cabin
called "Alizee". So far my seat is not allocated and it is not
possible to know exactly were I will be seated ("Alizee" according to
my TA).

I have a few questions:

How come that fare codes do not exactly match cabin classes ? The use
of the "A" fare code by the airline (A for "Alizee" instead of A for
"discounted first class" according to IATA rules seems to be
misleading software systems - and passengers !).

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?


not usual but then you are flying on an unusual airline! AOM by any
chance?
  #3  
Old March 23rd, 2004, 09:24 PM
freeda
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

I recently bought a return ticket from France to French Indies, coded
"First Class", displayed "First Class" by QPX (ITA Software) pricing
system and sold with the A fare code ("discounted first class"
according to IATA resolution 728). I later checked my itinerary with
my reservation code (www.checkmytrip.com) and found out that I will be
seated in coach.


well, maybe checkmytrip.com doesn;t know what A class is, or associates
it with a economy fare. Though A class is usually discounted FC.

My travel agent informed me that the airline is not operating first
class anymore on this route, but (international standard) business
class, economy and a kind of "enhanced economy" in a separate cabin
called "Alizee". So far my seat is not allocated and it is not
possible to know exactly were I will be seated ("Alizee" according to
my TA).

I have a few questions:

How come that fare codes do not exactly match cabin classes ? The use
of the "A" fare code by the airline (A for "Alizee" instead of A for
"discounted first class" according to IATA rules seems to be
misleading software systems - and passengers !).

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?


not usual but then you are flying on an unusual airline! AOM by any
chance?


Didn't AOM go bust/get swallowed up by Air France a few years back??


  #4  
Old March 23rd, 2004, 09:44 PM
Not the Karl Orff
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Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

In article ,
"freeda" wrote:

Didn't AOM go bust/get swallowed up by Air France a few years back??


Could be. I forget what goes on in France these days
  #5  
Old March 24th, 2004, 01:34 AM
nobody
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Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

Joe wrote:
I recently bought a return ticket from France to French Indies, coded
"First Class", displayed "First Class" by QPX (ITA Software) pricing
system and sold with the A fare code ("discounted first class"


There are 3 different things/terminology:

***Fare BASIS:
a fare code, usually of a few characters ( such as QWNR14 ) but can also be
a single letter such as "Y" and, combined with cities of origin/destination
and travel date, specify not only a price, but also the fare rules, allowable
routings. It also specify that a reservation must be booked in a specific
booking code. *USUALLY*, the booking code required for that fare basis to
apply is the first letter of the fare basis. The fare basis will specify the
service class (coach, business, first)

***Booking class: a one letter code which identifies which inventory of seats
a reservation will draw upon.

So technically, you first make a reservation in a certain booking class. Then,
you find fares applicable to that booking class, price the ticket and then
issue ticket.

For research, you look at the fares you want, find out in which booking class
you need to find inventory where this fare is applicable, book it etc.

If you booked a first class fare, and the airline widthdrew first class
service, then they should refund the difference compared to a similar advance
purchace fare in coach vs first. However, there are fare rules that do
stipulate that travel may be in coach on segments where first class is not
offered. (considered a round the world package booked in first class but using
flights on an airline that has no first class. This is documented in the fare
rules for those RTW packages.

How come that fare codes do not exactly match cabin classes ?


They never did. The only standards were Y for coach, J for business class and
F for first. But there have been exceptions for first (P, and for Concorde R).

of the "A" fare code by the airline (A for "Alizee" instead of A for
"discounted first class" according to IATA rules seems to be
misleading software systems - and passengers !).


Not at all. Booking class letters, except for Y J and F mean absolutely
nothing and nothing should be drawn from them. One some airlines, A could be
used to define capacity in first class with on the other airline it could be
used to allocate capacity in coach for dicounted fares.

Similarly, except for fare basis that begin with Y J and F, you can't draw any
conclusions as to where you will be seated, althoug generally, if it isn't J
or F, you are in coach. You need to look at the full fare rules associated
with the fare basis for your segment to know exactly what applies to you.

This is one area where the dumbed down Web sites have done much harm because
their have artificially shielded customers from what really happens when you
book air travel, so customer never lear hwo things really work and things
don't go exactly well, there is no way to know what really happened.

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?


If at the time you booked and had ticket issued, there was available capacity
in first class on the flight you requested, then it is permitted. Airlines
routinely adjust their schedules, substitude equiopment, cancel flights, or
redesign aircraft layouts to resize or eliminate first class/business class.
  #6  
Old March 24th, 2004, 03:03 AM
Vitaly Shmatikov
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Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

In article ,
Joe wrote:

I recently bought a return ticket from France to French Indies, coded
"First Class", displayed "First Class" by QPX (ITA Software) pricing
system and sold with the A fare code ("discounted first class"
according to IATA resolution 728).


IATA resolution 728 is not a law. It's more like a set of conventions,
which individual airlines may or may not follow (they usually do, but
they don't have to). For example, I fare code (discounted business
class, according to IATA) is used by Continental for discounted
economy, and by Northwest for business-class upgrade inventory.
I think Qantas uses C (normally a business class code) for economy,
although I am not sure.

My travel agent informed me that the airline is not operating first
class anymore on this route, but (international standard) business
class, economy and a kind of "enhanced economy" in a separate cabin
called "Alizee".


Alize is Air France's premium economy, kinda halfway between economy
and business (similar to BA and Virgin). I think it's only offered
to holiday destinations - Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, Mauritius,
those kinds of places.

So far my seat is not allocated and it is not
possible to know exactly were I will be seated ("Alizee" according to
my TA).


Call Air France and ask for a seat. You should be able to get advance
seat advancement in Alize.

How come that fare codes do not exactly match cabin classes ? The use
of the "A" fare code by the airline (A for "Alizee" instead of A for
"discounted first class" according to IATA rules seems to be
misleading software systems - and passengers !).


Probably ITA Software programmers did not code up explanations for
Air France fare codes correctly.

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?


The airline company did not sell you a ``first class discounted''
ticket. They sold you a ticket in economy, which is what you will
eventually travel in. You can use Travelocity to look at Air France
fare codes. For example, ``ALOW: Economy class restricted normal fare,
BK code A'' and so on.

Your beef should be with ITA Software and/or your travel agent, not
Air France. Air France fares are coded up correctly in CRS.

  #7  
Old March 24th, 2004, 03:07 AM
Vitaly Shmatikov
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Posts: n/a
Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

In article ,
Not the Karl Orff wrote:

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?


not usual but then you are flying on an unusual airline!


Air France is not all that unusual, not since they stopped their
Concorde service

AOM by any chance?


Hasn't AOM merged with Air Liberte and then liquidated after some kind
of protracted bankruptcy process a few years ago?

  #8  
Old March 24th, 2004, 03:20 AM
Vitaly Shmatikov
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Posts: n/a
Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

In article ,
Hilary wrote:

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?


If they knew they were withdrawing the service and continued selling the
tickets at the higher fare, then than would probably count as some sort of
fraud.


I doubt this is what happened. Air France has not had first class
service to the Caribbean for quite some time.

If you bought your ticket a number of months before travel and
afterwards they withdrew that class, that's a different matter.
Unfortunate though. Contact the airline and ask for the difference
between First and Club class to be refunded.


Except that he bought neither a First-, nor a Club-class ticket.
He bought a ticket in premium economy, for which the fare code happens
to start with A (presumably, for ``Alize''). I don't think the airline
would refund any money.

  #9  
Old March 24th, 2004, 11:37 AM
AJC
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Posts: n/a
Default Code signification: fare or cabin ?

On 23 Mar 2004 11:55:16 -0800, (Joe) wrote:

I recently bought a return ticket from France to French Indies, coded
"First Class", displayed "First Class" by QPX (ITA Software) pricing
system and sold with the A fare code ("discounted first class"
according to IATA resolution 728).


Air France haven't had F class on those routes for a long time. It
sounds like whoever you booked it through doesn't interpret the codes
used by AF correctly. This is one of the problems of using booking
agents rather than booking directly with the airline. Booking codes
vary from airline to airline.




I later checked my itinerary with
my reservation code (
www.checkmytrip.com) and found out that I will be
seated in coach.
My travel agent informed me that the airline is not operating first
class anymore on this route, but (international standard) business
class, economy and a kind of "enhanced economy" in a separate cabin
called "Alizee". So far my seat is not allocated and it is not
possible to know exactly were I will be seated ("Alizee" according to
my TA).


Alizé actually. Never mind a travel agent, what did Air France say?
Could they not allocate your seat?



I have a few questions:

How come that fare codes do not exactly match cabin classes ? The use
of the "A" fare code by the airline (A for "Alizee" instead of A for
"discounted first class" according to IATA rules seems to be
misleading software systems - and passengers !).

To what extent is it permitted for an airline company to sell "first
class discounted" tickets to passengers that will eventually travel in
economy class or enhanced economy ?



The airline hasn't sold you "first class discounted" tickets,
apparently a booking agent has. You need to take it up with them.
--==++AJC++==--
 




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