New gate upgrades
Aug 20, 2016, 3:14 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Asia
Programs: AY Gold (OWS), SK Gold (*A Gold), airBaltic VIP, Hilton Gold, PP
Posts: 377
New gate upgrades
I flew HEL-ORD this week in J. At the gate I saw for the first time a text "Business Class Seats on Sale". I guess Y was packed.
At the gate I happened to overhear the conversation with a pax who was interested in this upgrade. The price was 420€! So he declined...
Eventually they ended up upgrading more than ten pax free of charge...
At the gate I happened to overhear the conversation with a pax who was interested in this upgrade. The price was 420€! So he declined...
Eventually they ended up upgrading more than ten pax free of charge...
Aug 20, 2016, 9:13 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2016
Location: BLL
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, HHonors Silver
Posts: 405
I saw that too on my flight to SIN the other day. There were a few empty seats in main J where I sat. Don't know about other areas of the plane. And I've never seen them display that message before although I don't fly much AY longhaul. Also economy comfort was for sale.
Aug 21, 2016, 12:52 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Helsinki
Programs: AY Platinum, IHG Gold, Diners
Posts: 1,276
Prices seem to be high and the gate is quite late to offer these. If offered already at check-in so you would get all the other business benefits as well (luggage, fast track, lounge), then it would be better value (although still a high price). I suppose also these upgrades only give economy points?
Aug 21, 2016, 1:48 am
#4
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,167
Offering at the gate is way too late. Should be done at checkin IMHO, like SK does it.
But I guess, this is not an option for AY - there is so little OD pax, that it wouldn't work. There just isn't very many people checking in at HEL for longhaul! And they have no communication with the european outstations, so it is impossible to do it there too.
But I guess, this is not an option for AY - there is so little OD pax, that it wouldn't work. There just isn't very many people checking in at HEL for longhaul! And they have no communication with the european outstations, so it is impossible to do it there too.
Aug 21, 2016, 1:58 am
#5
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,167
One interesting thought that poped up in my head - does these upgrades count towards the Y yield or the J yield?
If I'm guessing, they will be under Y in the books. This way, if they manage to sell, they will get a positive impact on Y yield, if they fail, nothing is visible in the books.
If they did report sold and operational upgrades as J revenue, it would hit the J yield and someone in accounting would strike the alarm bell. But instead, they keep on doing massive oversells of Y becasue it can so conviniently be solved by upgrading to J...
If I'm guessing, they will be under Y in the books. This way, if they manage to sell, they will get a positive impact on Y yield, if they fail, nothing is visible in the books.
If they did report sold and operational upgrades as J revenue, it would hit the J yield and someone in accounting would strike the alarm bell. But instead, they keep on doing massive oversells of Y becasue it can so conviniently be solved by upgrading to J...