Originally Posted by
sbm12
Yes and no. Anyone who is eligible for a Y-Up has shown a reasonable amount of loyalty to CO already. At that point the "instant" nature of the Y-Up requires that there be no other factors.
I don't doubt that all Elites have demonstrated loyalty to CO. But, by definition of Onepass, a plat has shown more loyalty than a Silver.
Originally Posted by
sbm12
What real changes would you make to the system? Plats Y-Up any time and silvers only within 30 days? 7 days? 3 days?
Something along those lines. I would say Plats at any time, Golds at 6-days (right before all the discounted plats) and Silvers at 4 days (again, right before the discounted golds).
CO could even go so far as manage the inventory by using different fare buckets depending on your elite level. DL and UA manage their QUP/HUP through the manipulation of fare buckets and they will generally not sell you the last seat up front on a "instant upgrade" ticket, CO will.
Originally Posted by
sbm12
I've been a cheapest ticket buyer my whole life and have managed to be elite at some level for 6 or 7 years now, the last couple at Platinum. Folks hitting that top tier are not always (or necessarily even often) doing it by buying high fares.
I no doubt agree that there are definitely out there in the scenario. But from what i've heard, which may mean nothing, that's more of a minority of the general population and not the majority. I used to be one of those myself and I'm sure one day I will be in that boat again, but with my current job 80% of my travel is in full-Y.