I could have sworn I saw a post here on LCT that gave a website link where you could see how many seats have been sold or given as award seats on an aircraft...did I dream this up? If not, who has the link? Thanks!

Could it have been ExpertFlyer.com or the ana airlines website (only for Star Alliance)?

Some airlines, like Northwest, have it right on their website. I just changed our Regent arranged seats on the homebound trip from London via their website. It showed which seats were still available.

the ana website has info on what award travel is available in each class throughout the star alliance network, but you have to be a member to get to it.

If you are just looking to see what seats are available on a given flights, most airlines already give that information, as does orbitz.

thanks everyone...hey Sheri!!

I thought it was a free database that included all airlines (you just plugged in the flight name/number) and actually gave the seats by code designator (e.g. y in coach).

It's http://publicbackup.com/shared/flyertalk/availability/ for one version - It really isn't that precise since most airlines show a maximum of 9 but could be much higher than that - only accurate if lower than that. Example - USAirways 748 - Charlotte to Philadelphia for 8/14/07 - right now shows (F5 A5 P5 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 N9 V9 W9 L9 S9 T9 G9 K9 U9 E9 R9) which basically means wide-open.

Peter, you're amazing!! I'm assuming all those numbers are fare codes (?) but it's certainly ALL GREEK to me!

This looks like calculus to me.

Peter, would you be so kind as to translate F, A, P, etc.? Sorry, I'm fare code-impaired!

Thanks.

Well:

F = Full fare First
A = Some sort of discounted First
P = Even more discounted First

Y = Full Fare Economy
all the rest = Economy in decreasing cost

Even though this particular search shows - F5 A5 P5 - this doesn't necessarily mean that there are at least 15 First Class seats open since a "higher" fare bucket will always include seats in a "lower" fare bucket - however, you can assume that there are at least 5 open First Class seats on this flight (and probably more since it seems like this airline shows only a maximum of 5 for First Class). Also, you can assume that much more than 9 seats are available in Economy since all the fare buckets show 9 and 9 is the maximum that the inventory will show for Economy seats.

Different airlines may show different codes for fare buckets, but for all F is First (either domestic or international), J or C for Business class (either international on a 2-class plane or middle class on a 3-class plane, Y for Economy.

None of these "free" tools show award seats or upgrade availability however.

So, for any search you'll come up with will show some sort of the following:

F _ _ JorC _ _ _ Y _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This is from Wikipedia so it probably fairly generic:

First class codes
A, F, P, R, Z
On domestic flights, F commonly indicates first class on a two-cabin plane. If a three-cabin aircraft is used, P (for "premium") may be used to distinguish the higher level of service in first class. The R code indicated supersonic transport and is no longer used with the retirement of the Concorde. The A and Z codes may indicate a first class ticket whose fare is reduced due to restrictions on refunds, advance reservation requirements, or other terms.

The codes in short:

A = First Class Discounted,
F = First Class,
P = First Class Premium,
R = Supersonic (Concorde),
Z = Business Class Discounted
(a lowercase "n" after any class code indicates Night Service)

Business class codes
C, J, D, I
On many airlines, C or J indicate full fare business class, whereas discounted and thus restricted and un-upgradeable fares are represented by D or I.

The codes in short:

C = Business Class,
D = Business Class Discounted,
J = Business Class Premium
(a lowercase "n" after any class code indicates Night Service)

Economy class codes
Full fare: Y, B, H
Standard fare: M, N
Special or discount fares: G, I, K, L, O, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X
On most airlines, unrestricted economy ticket is booked as a Y fare. Full fare tickets with restrictions on travel dates, refunds, or advance reservations are commonly classed as B, H, or M, although some airlines may use S, W, or others. Heavily discounted fares, commonly T or W, will not permit cabin upgrades, refunds, or reservation changes, may restrict frequent flyer program eligibility, and/or impose other restrictions. Other fare codes such as X are restricted for use by consolidators, group charters, or travel industry professionals.

Most low-cost carriers have greatly simplified the fare classes they use to a handful of cases, unlike the dozens employed by a traditional airline. While some traditional carriers have followed, others continue to prefer price discrimination over commoditization.

The codes in short:

B = Economy/Coach Discounted
E = Shuttle Service (No reservation allowed), or Economy/Coach Discounted
G = Conditional Reservation
H = Economy/Coach Discounted
K = Economy/Coach Discounted
L = Economy/Coach Discounted
M = Economy/Coach Discounted
N = Economy/Coach Discounted
Q = Economy/Coach Discounted
R = Economy/Coach Heavily discounted
S = Economy/Coach
T = Economy/Coach Discounted, or Premium
U = Shuttle Service (No res. needed/Seat guaranteed)
V = Economy/Coach Discounted
W = Economy/Coach Discounted
Y = Economy/Coach

Thanks so much, Peter and Suzanne.

Suzanne and her CAMEL, slipping on down to the O..asis :app: :app: Love it!

Suzie,

He appears to have a penchant for Pinot Grigio as he's polishing off my glass!!

What a great photo, Suzanne!

I somewhat recall taking that shot, if not with Suzanne's camera, then my own, on TAP! It is nice to remember "sunny" sea days!

Seems I recall a bar called The Thirsty Camel

Not only is this camel thirsty....he's very busy making the rounds!

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Latitudes.jpg?t=1186878175[/img]

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/latitudes2.jpg?t=1186878279[/img]

Don't I know that couple? :D A nomad known to all!

Too cute Marcie! John and I loved it!!! Miss you guys. Judy

Wow! we are getting mascots for the cruises now? cool!

Peteropny, thanks again for your invaluable help. This link is great and while perhaps not 100% accurate, certainly better than nothing!