Hi Marcie,

I think the airlines purposely make this confusing!

I believe I actually mis-spoke in the above Continental example. The Y fares on Continental can purchased on their website with a confirmed upgrade if you're Elite. If not, you can call to find out if you can upgrade with miles as a non-Elite.

The "Y-up" fare with Continental (where your upgrade is not dependent on using frequent flyer miles) is actually "Z", but I rarely find that fare class available.

Delta also has "Y-up" fares, but I've heard of flyers being "confirmed" in Business/First only to show up and be bumped back to economy.

You can learn a lot about airline fare classes at FlyerTalk.com or ExpertFlyer.com. Or, spend some time reading the fine print at the airline of your choice.

I'm trying to figure all this out because Len and I want to go to the Seychelles next year. That's a long trip and I really don't want to be in coach, but I don't want to spend $15,000 on airfare either!

Andrea