Originally Posted by
karachi
point #1 above has been made multiple times by a lot of people here, including me. it sounds obvious from a customer loyalty perspective .. but, anything close to free upgrades will change behaviour (why buy a confirmed J when you can play Aerolotto) and cheapen the J class. US based airlines have basically done this... SQ/EK etc. do not.
as an SE, i would love it if it happens, but i also understand the underlying economics.
My point is only very last minute (i.e. at gate) and not for long haul flights. In that situation we are not going to pay for J fare and noone else is either. Wouldn't always happen, but when it did we would be happy.