Later this year (Sept) I'm planning a trip to Nth America. I was looking at flying to HNL with Jetstar in Starclass then to New York with AA business/first. When checking the AA website I noticed they are offering 'instant upgrade' fares - i.e. business/first for the price of an economy ticket. When I selected the 'instant upgrade' option and checked the fare basis the code was 'Y26' whereas the code for fully flexible on the same flight is either A or F. My two questions are:
1. If I select the 'instant upgrade' option and the business/first cabin is full of higher paying passengers does that mean I'm likely to end up down the back without warning? I'm prepared to pay more if it means I'll be travelling in relative comfort but will take advantage of the cheaper fare if it means I'll receive the same product. I'm finding the fare rules for AA very, very confusing.
2. What's the difference between business and first on AA? Again I'm finding it difficult to find a clear explanation about the difference between these classes and am further confused by the seemingly random pricing relating to these fare types. In the case of HNL to New York, fully flexible business is more expensive than fully flexible first but I was under the impression that first was a superior product offering.
Any help would be greatly appreciated because I'm close to making a booking and don't feel very confident about booking with AA. Furthermore, flying with AA requires a change of planes whereas Continental has a direct flight with comparatively clear fare rules at a very reasonable price. Also, from their website I fully understand what Continental offer in their premium cabins on certain sectors compared to AA. The only downside is no SC or FF points.
Any help would be much appreciated.
1. If I select the 'instant upgrade' option and the business/first cabin is full of higher paying passengers does that mean I'm likely to end up down the back without warning? I'm prepared to pay more if it means I'll be travelling in relative comfort but will take advantage of the cheaper fare if it means I'll receive the same product. I'm finding the fare rules for AA very, very confusing.
2. What's the difference between business and first on AA? Again I'm finding it difficult to find a clear explanation about the difference between these classes and am further confused by the seemingly random pricing relating to these fare types. In the case of HNL to New York, fully flexible business is more expensive than fully flexible first but I was under the impression that first was a superior product offering.
Any help would be greatly appreciated because I'm close to making a booking and don't feel very confident about booking with AA. Furthermore, flying with AA requires a change of planes whereas Continental has a direct flight with comparatively clear fare rules at a very reasonable price. Also, from their website I fully understand what Continental offer in their premium cabins on certain sectors compared to AA. The only downside is no SC or FF points.
Any help would be much appreciated.