Originally Posted by
ijgordon
Maybe put another way -- UA likes to sell less seats for more money while CO likes to sell more seats for less money. So which is the better strategy? Hmmm.
Yes and no. If there's a conscious premium being paid for F, then they're doing as you describe. However in the CO world, the F fare (or Y/B/M-Up) is often the cheapest available for the trip, so they're essentially giving it away.
And we're not just talking about full flights or last-minute purchases where inventory is getting tight. Many of CO's lower fares require 3-day minimums and such, and if one doesn't have that, they're pushed up to a B fare anyway, and with that comes an upgrade. An Elite in that situation can either by a B fare and upgrade, or B fare and not upgrade.
In those cases, CO is not exactly "selling" more F seats, as the purchaser isn't given an option to sit up front for even marginally more money. In those situations, it's simply not possible to buy a fare that doesn't come with an upgrade. So CO is giving F away to passengers buying the lowest possible fare for the flight they want.