Originally Posted by
PMMMDL
I have found Delta usually releases Z seats in a trickle starting about 1 month or so before a flight as they get a better handle on how many Biz seats they are going to sell, where AA and UA release a batch of upgrades, then almost nothing until departure. I usually need to finagle which hub I go through in order to get the Z availability, but I can usually find it.
The lower fare levels with co-pay on cheap tickets is a double edge sword as it allows people on low fare tickets to suck up the advance upgrade availability.
C'est la vie. I have yet to find an airline that has all I want.
Actually, I think the UA system is pretty fair. They release some seats that anybody can grab at booking. So this gives a chance to flyers with low status. After that you get priority based on status (GS, 1k, 1P) and fare basis. I'm actually hoping that the co-pay will help because a lot of people will now buy cheaper fares which will push them down the priority list.
I usually fly out of NRT and there is a 28 day advance purchase requirement on Z fares which doesn't work for me. It used to be the other way around and possible to get biz originating out of NRT at about half the price of the same ticket originating in North America.