Originally Posted by
camsean
The idea of filling empty seats with upgrades is pretty much an American only thing, I believe. It certainly seems to have devalued the product.
Anyone who flew a lot in the US pre 9/11 would disagree. They had the same upgrades back then, yet offered good service with decent food and drink. I think the blame rests with the unions and managements inability to deal better with them. The financial model was unsustainable just with the brief recession we had around the time of 9/11, not to mention the fuel cost hikes that arrived later.