Originally Posted by Raptor

...Careful here. Not necessarily good to go just because your First class fare is less than your bank.

Let's say you have a back end DH for $400 from a trip that ends in EWR. This notional $400 DH bank is for a scheduled Y fare from EWR to MEM after an overnight in EWR. Now let's say you live in PIT.

Different examples, with you living in PIT:
1) you legal rest in EWR and take a nonstop on UA express CRJ200 that takes 1 hour. Your deviation qualifies for Y fare. This Y fare costs $500. You can take it as a deviation and you owe the company $100 unless you have other bank that month to cover the excess you spent.

2) you legal rest in EWR and take a DL mainline flight that connects thru ATL and the block time is 2.5 hours total, and your day is 5 hours duty for your deviation to PIT. Your deviation qualifies for Y. If Delta's Y fare is $300 and their F fare is $350, doesn't matter that they are under your bank. You may take the Y deviation and have it fully reimbursed at $300. If you want to fly F on a deviation that as booked only qualifies for Y, that's when you fill out the travel upgrade form and you'll be debited the $50 from your pay.

3) you legal rest in EWR and you take a DL flight connecting through SLC! Your total deviation block is 5 hours and your day is 7 hours. Your deviation qualifies for F because your block is 5 hours or more. You can book either Y or F for this example and have it reimbursed up to your monthly bank.

4) you legal rest in EWR and take the DL flight in example 2, but this time DL has a YUP fare (a COACH fare that gives you a confirmed first class seat). You may book this type of coach fare and fly first and be fully reimbursed.

5) you legal rest in EWR and take a UA mainline flight from EWR to PIT. Due to a current contract we have with UA, many times first is cheaper than Y. In this case UA Y may cost $300 and UA F may cost $250. The deviation qualifies for coach, but you may book a first fare that's cheaper than coach. If you book via VIPs online route pricing under lowest cost or via a live corporate travel agent they will note the record and you may book this Cheap F fare and be fully reimbursed.

6) you legal rest in EWR and you want to take a DL flight that is sold out in coach but has First for sale. Call corporate travel, they will book F and you'll be reimbursed in FOX even though your deviation qualifies for Y. Corporate travel will note your booking record that this is the case and in the comments section of FOX make the same note when you submit and you will be reimbursed.

7) you DON'T legal rest in EWR (get into EWR at 6am and go to the airport and take an 8 AM flight). Let's say your duty period into EWR on your FedEx trip(s) inbound was 7 hours and your inbound flight time was 3.5 hours. If you take the Nonstop to PIT at 8 AM with 1 hour flight time your duty would be 10.5 and your combined block would be 4.5--neither would qualify you for F. But, if you take a DL flight through ATL that has a block of 2.5 and travel time of 5 hours, your combined block is 6 (now you're still not greater or equal to the 8 required combined trigger) but now your duty day (fedEx scheduled 7 plus 2 hour wait plus 5 hours travel plus 0.5 after DL block in) us now 14.5 hours and because if that your deviation flight now qualifies for F.