Originally Posted by
hgdf
Let's not forget the event that precipitated this topic was the OP, an MVPG, booking a transcon 2 weeks in advance and finding only standard middle seats available. If those routes are so elite heavy that the front Y cabin fills up that fast, who's to say that you'd even be able to get E+ when you wanted it?
If UA could book their flights solid with elites the was AS does on SEA-DCA, the OP would still be in that middle seat. If UA has all those available F and E+ seats available at the last minute, that may be a good thing for you as a elite customer, but for UA it may be a sign of excess capacity. For now, I bet AS is happy to run with high load factors on these highly profitable routes rather than mess with a successful formula.
Yes, but a middle E+ seat beats a middle E- seat by a mile. There is no comparison for me. If the choice for me were between a middle E+ seat on UA and a middle regular seat on AS (for a transcon), I'd take UA in a heartbeat, even though it means much worse service and even perhaps paying much more for the flight. Of course, if I were the OP, I would not be booking AS middle seats at all and instead book another airline even if it meant a convoluted routing. I just don't fit in standard Y and throwing a middle (or even a window) seat into the mix means I won't be flying.