Shared “inventory code” expands First Class upgrade opportunities
Stay with me here because I have to dish up some fare-speak in order to make my point.American Airlines’ “booking code” or “inventory code” for discount First Class travel is usually “A” or “P.” We’ve found that American also uses the A designation for its upgrade inventory code to First Class on domestic routes.
This is unusual, because airlines don’t often pull upgrades from the same inventory that they sell from. Generally, an airline will allot, say, two seats for upgrade inventory, and, maybe, seven seats for the lowest published First Class fare—each group having a different code. With American, all nine seats would be in the same inventory, giving you greater access to upgrades.
This means that if the lowest First Class fare is available, it’s more likely that an upgrade is also available.
We confirmed this theory with a travel agent using a Sabre GDS airline booking system, which enabled us to check upgrade inventory (A code) on American flights. We did a random search on several domestic American routes for upgrade availability and found that where discount First Class inventory was available, the chances for an upgrade were the same.
The brass ring was on Los Angeles to Chicago (a route that has the carrier’s new next-generation Business Class seat): The lowest upgradeable fare is $258, plus $100 surcharge, plus 30,000 miles; whereas the lowest published Business Class fare was $1,816—a savings of $1,458 (80%).
Keep in mind that you don’t have to fly to get the miles. You can buy them from American (30,000 miles cost $750, plus taxes and transaction fee, which still saves $708 on the above route), or you can convert points to miles through Starwood (and collect the 25% bonus to make your miles go farther) or Diners Club.
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