Do tickets in coach typically get sold in the order of lowest/cheapest fare code first?

Upvote:1

Your fare class is a 2nd tier factor for upgrades, not a primary one. Airlines first look at your elite level status. They then rank their top tier flyers by the fare class. They then go the next elite level down and the same. So forth until they reach the non-elite flyers.

It is not 100% cut and dry, as gold elite flyer on a full Y fare might get priority over a diamond flyer on a cheapo ticket. But the chances of an upgrade for a non-elite flyer is pretty much nil, regardless of fare. And even lower level elites see very few upgrades these days.

Upvote:2

It's possible to pick a more expensive fare, for example if you want more flexibility or frequent flyer miles. By default, most airline websites will show the cheapest fare first but allow the user to pick a more flexible fare if they wish. Online travel agents and other third parties might not always offer this functionality but there is no guarantee that nobody booked a more expensive flexible fare through another channel even if some seats in the less flexible one are still available.

But there is a lot more than that to upgrades. General consensus is that free upgrades have become much less common and with so many people chasing them (including frequent flyers who will come before you and can often upgrade automatically online). Personally, I haven't been upgraded since the 1990s (but I am mostly flying in Europe). So I wouldn't count on getting one merely because you booked your ticket later than usual. See also What techniques, tricks or otherwise have you used to get upgrades on flights?

Also, if there are still seats in the lowest fare code shortly before departure, it suggests that the fly is not full so one of the major reason to upgrade someone (namely overbooking) doesn't apply.

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