Upgrade bidding coming back?

Moderator note: CX previously trialed upgrade bidding in 2014. This discussion of this trial is here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...periences.html


They just sent out insight survey about name preferences of the new upgrade bidding platform. Looks like upgrade bidding is coming back?

Ambient Enhance

Not one of the options on my list.

The names being considered are:
* Sky Bid
* Upgrade Bid
* Cabin Bid
* Class Bid
* Up Bid
* Enhance
* Travel Bid
* Fly Bid
* Life Well Upgraded
* Time to Win (A Bid)

Okay, I might have made up the last two...

You've forgotten bid from (broken) heart

People. They upgrade their seats?

Right, so the bidding system seems to be coming back. Any idea when will it be back?

how can it "come back" when it didnt take off

Desperate times call for...

Perhaps a different company running the tech?

Why not...
* Sidan bid (Si Dan = Whatever in Cantonese)
* Op-up bid
* Cut (op-up) bid
* 噏 bid (sounds Up, means speak in Cantonese)
* Re-Enhance (or Enhance again, Enhance once more...)
* Trouble bid
* 快 bid (sounds Fai, means Be quick)
* Profit upgraded
* Time to Pay
* Bid from your wallet


And why aside from Enhance every choices has the word "bid"? Has the marketing department really used their brain?

Nonetheless... Just call it Enhance will do.... This is another money wasting marketing event...

p.s. I don't get the survey do they seems not interested in reusing Enhance...

At least it was in place for a few selected routes back in 2014

Excellent suggestions ^^

I have a strange feeling this might affect last-minute award availability

The Australian Biz Traveller carried this news today...

https://www.ausbt.com.au/cathay-paci...grade-auctions

Good point. It probably will if the program actually works this time.

If so, CX is effectively devaluing MPC. Which seems to me like a contradiction? On the one hand, they go out of their way to ensure new MPC is closer to a J+F revenue program now, and basically ditch the Y and PEY fliers. On the other hand, op ups and award availability will most certainly go down if this program is a success.

I don't know about others on here, but op ups are one of the main reasons I've been sticky to MPC for so many years. If other airlines have superior earn/burn (AA, Avois, Alaska), and MPC availability isn't much better than partners anyway, and op ups materially decrease, I have to think even more folks jump ship.

CX has it in their mind they're in tough times and need need ways to improve yield and profits. I get it. But I think they're treading in deep water if they hurt MPC. I saw a consultancy paper (commissioned by one of CXs main competitors) that figured MPC members, on average, are the highest average earning constituency of major global airline programs. They attributed it to MPCs relatively small size, combined with HKs status as a small city/state, and the presence of short-term "banker imports", they used some language like that.

Anyway, count me as someone who feels the effect of less op ups on my status. My percentage hasn't changed, but I'm flying mainly only J or F now (I used to fly a lot of Y regionally), and my op-up chances are simply a lot less as there often isn't a class ahead. I find it ironic that I feel less loyal as I spend more than a few years ago and fly mainly premium. But it's because the MPC program really is weak.

The factors holding me in now are the 1600 and 1800 CP thresholds. I'll see if they even have the utility I was expecting. But I could really see the 3-5 year ago version of myself being totally ticked off if a big-time cash bid upgrade system started working. Because even though I was spending between 40-150k a year on CX/KA, a fair bit was still regionally in economy. I got a LOT of regional upgrades which softened the blow. Oh, and seat block worked back then too. Amazing to me CX cut this capability.