Cash upgrades at time of purchase are in. But the airlines are still experimenting with how much and when to charge. FCF gets you in the loop for some outstanding opportunities.
When FCF first reported on the new strain of heavily-discounted First Class fares back in November 2014, they were only offered on a couple of airlines and only to some destinations. Since then, prices have continued to drop. In October 2015, American offered First Class for only $250 more than a Business round-trip – but now we’re seeing fares stabilize. Fares are around longer and the lowest require a 150-day advance-purchase.
But the important trend is that more airlines are now offering a cash upgrade at time of ticketing from Business Class to First and on more routes than ever before. The trick for airlines now is figuring out how much to charge for the upgrade.
Take Air France for example. Always the holdout when it comes to discounting First Class, they’re now offering First Class fares, but intermittently on a “match-you” basis.
That means they’re matching the competition on Washington DC-Barcelona for example, starting at $5,320 with a 50-day advance purchase requirement. And on Los Angeles/San Francisco-London, starting at $5,500 with a 150-day advance purchase. Previously you’d expect to see fares like that in the $8,000 to $12,000 range. C’est magnifique.
To Paris, fares still typically range from $7,500 to $9,600 with a 50-day advance and FCF doesn’t expect that to change soon. C’est la vie.
So what are other major airlines: American, British Airways, Lufthansa/Swiss and United doing in this space? FCF has the low-down (or in this case, the high-up) for some breathtaking opportunities.