Fare Class

A booking class (letter code) that sets the price, change/refund conditions and mileage accrual. Each cabin (economy, business, first) is typically split into several fare classes, with cheaper classes carrying more restrictions on changes and refunds. Loyalty programmes often use fare class, not just cabin, to determine how many miles or points a traveller earns.

Fare classes are usually identified by single letters, often called booking classes or reservation booking designators. The exact codes vary between airlines, but letters such as F or A are commonly used for first class, J, C or D for business class, and Y or B for full-fare economy, while letters like Q, T or V typically indicate discounted economy fares. Each class has a limited number of seats; as cheaper classes sell out, only more expensive ones remain available, which is one reason fares rise closer to departure.

For companies, fare class matters for more than price. Corporate agreements with airlines often apply discounts only to specific booking classes, upgrade eligibility may depend on the class purchased, and the miles a traveller earns can vary significantly between fares in the same cabin. A travel policy can use fare classes to set clear boundaries — for example, allowing economy but restricting the most expensive economy subclasses unless a flexible ticket is genuinely needed.

Tumodo's travel policy settings make these boundaries easy to apply. Companies can define allowed cabin classes, set cabin rules by flight duration and route, and use the fare groups setting to restrict the purchase of tickets in expensive subclasses. If the company has a contract with an airline, Tumodo uploads it into the system so corporate discounts apply automatically, and travellers can add their loyalty numbers to collect miles on business trips.