Originally Posted by
channa
Depends on your perspective. If you're accustomed to AA or UA style SWUs where you don't have to fork over miles or cash, then yeah, it's a ripoff.
If you're used to forking over miles + cash for CO upgrades, as has been pointed out, it's lower than if you'd been on an L fare.
Well, you left out a few scenarios:
If you're anything but top-tier on AA, then you wouldn't be "accustomed to...SWUs" and you'd be forking over miles + $350 regardless of fare (except the most expensive fares). That may be better or worse than CO depending on the fare you're buying.
If you're used to only being able to upgrade the most expensive fares (a la DL/NW and UA?), then no, it's not really a rip-off.
But in any event, that BusinessFirst ticket costs
minimum $2,000, a more likely price is $3-5k, or even much more without advance purchase. So not sure how the mileage upgrade translates into being a rip-off. That said, expect to fly coach on the LAX-EWR segment...