• Home
  • Contact
  • Work with Me
  • Start a Blog
  • Shop
↑
  • About
    • About Me
      • About Jess
      • Yearly Roundups
      • 101 in 1001 Goals
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
  • Destinations
    • USA
    • Worldwide
  • Resources
    • Travel
    • Blogging
      • how to start a travel blog
      • tips for new bloggers
      • write me a guest post!
  • Work With Me
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • About
    • About Me
      • About Jess
      • Yearly Roundups
      • 101 in 1001 Goals
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
  • Destinations
    • USA
    • Worldwide
  • Resources
    • Travel
    • Blogging
      • how to start a travel blog
      • tips for new bloggers
      • write me a guest post!
  • Work With Me
  • Subscribe

A Passion and A Passport

Proving Travel is Possible with a Full-Time 9-5

  • About
    • About Me
      • About Jess
      • Yearly Roundups
      • 101 in 1001 Goals
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
  • Destinations
    • USA
    • Worldwide
  • Resources
    • Travel
    • Blogging
      • how to start a travel blog
      • tips for new bloggers
      • write me a guest post!
  • Work With Me
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
You are here: Home / inspiration / How to Fly First Class on a Coach Budget

How to Fly First Class on a Coach Budget

last Updated: August 11, 2020

FYI: Affiliate links may be sprinkled throughout the awesome, free content you see below. I’ll receive a small commission when you purchase from my links (at no extra cost to you), which I’ll totally blow on adult things like boba tea and avocado toast. As always, thanks for the support.

Total
24
Shares
Share 1
Pin it 23
Tweet 0
Share 0

Always wanted to fly first class?! Are the fully reclining seats and gourmet meals calling your name?!

Who wouldn’t want extra leg room, complimentary wines, beers, and cocktails, in-seat massages, flat screen LCD screens, USB connectors, and numerous other perks of first class?

You can always pay for these elite upgrades. But that usually means shelling out thousands of extra dollars. Even if you are loyal to a specific airline and have priority status, it always seems like 20, or even 50 other people do as well. With that, there’s not much chance of getting a free upgrade. Bummer.

However, you may just be able to achieve your in-flight dreams, all while paying less than a coach fare. WHAT?! Less than the price of a last minute coach ticket?! Does this sound too good to be true? It’s not anymore with the purchase of a y-up.

What’s a Y-Up anyway?!

Y-ups (pronounced why-ups) are airlines best kept secrets. They never, ever advertise them (and most likely wont in 100 years), and therefore most people have never even heard of them. I hadn’t either until I started researching for an e-book I was contributing to.

In other words, they are insider speak for discounted first class airline tickets. Getting excited again?!

Why do airlines offer y-ups?

Since first class fares are so overly expensive, they hardly ever sell out. Even the rich people don’t want to pay the price of a first class ticket, so there are many left. Instead of having empty seats (and therefore losing money), airlines offer these discounted first class seats to those in the know.

It’s kind of like last minute deals you find on a cruise ship or other vacation package. While they don’t make a ton of money on these fares, it’s better than not making any at all.

How to find a Y-up:

Since these are not advertised, the airlines make you dig a little (or a lot). If you are using a travel agent, ask for her to search for “y-ups” or “discounted first class tickets”. Searching for flights without the assistance of a travel pro? Use websites such as fare compare which has a tool that specifically tracks Y-Ups. There are over 100,000 of these, you just need to find them.

But realize something- Y-Ups are not dirt cheap, nor are they even sometimes relatively cheap. They are usually less expensive than booking a last minute coach fare, beneficial for business travelers or those traveling due to an illness or death in the family. Y-Ups are also good to look for when traveling on leisure, for a honeymoon or anniversary trip perhaps.

Another added bonus! Y-Up tickets do not say “first class” on them, so for those companies who do not allow upgraded seats for business travel, this is a way to get around that. The code on Y-Ups and coach fares literally look exactly the same, so there is no way to differentiate. A win-win for everyone!

While this may not work every time, it is definitely worth a shot. Go ahead, give it a try, you never know what you may come out of it. You may just be that person reclining in first class smirking at those sandwiched between two sumo wrestlers in coach.

Total
24
Shares
Share 1
Pin it 23
Tweet 0
Share 0

Filed Under: inspiration, travel tips

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Karisa says

    May 23, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    OMG the first picture looks utterly decadent! I want a Y-up for my next long haul flight! Thanks for sharing the secret, Jessica!
    My recent post Cabbages & Condoms

    Reply
  2. jill says

    May 23, 2013 at 8:58 pm

    How interesting – will def try for this next time. For sharing this 'insider secret'!
    My recent post Canada Adventure: Ontario and Quebec

    Reply
  3. Kimmy @ AfterGlobe says

    May 28, 2013 at 3:26 am

    This is a great tip! Something I'll be trying in the future. You'll see this article featured on this week's posting of AfterGlobe's Stumbling Over You series. Thanks for your contribution! The post goes live tomorrow.

    Reply
  4. meagan8477 says

    May 30, 2013 at 9:37 am

    Great trick! I'll have to check it out.
    My recent post Say WHAT?! Wednesday

    Reply
  5. Suzy says

    June 2, 2013 at 8:08 pm

    Great tip! I had never heard of y-ups before.
    My recent post Chicago’s Playground: Jumping into the Canvas at Millennium Park

    Reply

hey there

Hi, I’m Jess. Professional wanderluster and trip planning aficionado. I teach 9-5 professionals how to maximize their limited time off with carefully planned out itineraries, long weekend inspiration, and general travel planning tips.

About 101 in 1001 Contact

love to travel?

Sign up for itinerary inspiration, travel tips, and more!

No spam, only fun!

About International USA California Itinerary Planning Resources Travel Shop

Favorite Travels

The Best Kona Itinerary: 3 Days in Kona, Hawaii

visiting Puerto Maldonado Peru Amazon Rainforest

3 Days in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest (Puerto Maldonado)

2024 Year in Review: My Most Traveled Year Yet

one day in Alberobello

Day Trip to Alberobello: Things to do in Alberobello and Full Trulli Guide

Travel Recaps

'13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24

Start a Blog!

for only $3.95/month! Save Now

Guide to San Francisco

We've compiled a list to help guide you through one of our favorite destinations!

All First Timers Guide Things to Do What/where to Eat Sweets and Treats Jess’s Itinerary

Subscribe To The Newsletter

FOR TRAVEL INSPO and FUN

No spam, only fun!

Favorite Destinations

California. California
Greece. Greece
Mexico. Mexico
Hawaii. Hawaii
A Passion And A Passport Logo

About

  • About Jessica
  • 101 in 1001 Goals
  • Contact
  • Work With Me

Resources

  • How to Plan a Trip
  • Fave Travel Companies
  • Shop My Faves
  • Start a Blog

Destinations

  • World Travel
  • USA Travel
  • California
  • BLOG

California

  • San Francisco
  • Northern California
  • Southern California
  • Central Coast
©2025, A Passion and A Passport. About Work With Me Privacy Policy Back To Top
Design by Pixel Me Designs