What is a published fare?
The fare an airline files publicly and sells to anyone, on its own website and on booking sites: the price discounted fares are measured against.
Published fare, explained
Airlines file their public fares with fare databases, which feed their websites, travel agencies and booking sites. Anyone can buy a published fare, and every seller shows the same price for it.
Business class usually has several published fares at once, from cheaper fares with strict rules to fully flexible ones that cost much more. The cheapest available one changes as seats sell.
Fares sold below the published price, such as consolidator or negotiated corporate fares, are called private fares.
On a business class trip
The business class price on an airline's website for Chicago to London is a published fare; an agency's negotiated fare for the same flight is a private fare.
Related terms
- Consolidator fare
A fare an airline sells through agencies at a negotiated price it does not publish on its own website, often below the published fare for the same seat.
- Fare class (booking class)
A one-letter code inside a cabin that sets a ticket's price and rules. Business class has several, often J, C, D, I and Z; each airline uses its own.
- Fare basis
The code on a ticket that names the exact fare it was sold at, starting with its fare class letter. It points to the fare's rules.
- Carrier-imposed surcharge
A charge an airline adds to a ticket on top of the fare and government taxes, shown in the taxes box. It is the airline's own charge, not a tax.
Further reading: Chicago to London in business class. Every term in the glossary.
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