Originally Posted by
CO Insider
Domestic upgrades available for all members and all published fares. Previously, customers who weren’t Elite members could only use miles to upgrade a domestic itinerary when booked in select fare classes (which excluded O, V, U, Q, I, S, W, T, X and L). Now, our domestic upgrade reward (Series 0) allows upgrades to be redeemed in conjunction with all published fare classes. The fare classes that were previously excluded will simply have an upgrade service fee ranging from $50 to $150 depending on the fare class. And yes, Elite members will continue to be able to redeem Series 0 rewards without upgrade service fees. The full details are now posted at
continental.com.
As a first time Elite, I certainly appreciate this. I can think of several flights where it would have been especially nice to be able to upgrade after buying the discount fares. For most folks, I just don't see them thinking that paid F is worth it for the 3 hour flight to visit grandma. The upgrade option will make people reconsider (although I can already see the size upgrade standby list for the transcons crashing the CO servers).