Originally Posted by
gk725
Not sure I follow: What exactly is the downside to the business?
CO's competitors likely already have very detailed information on CO's price/fare structure for particular flights (as inventory in buckets is already accessible), percentages of elites, etc. If they don't, they could extrapolate this information to a fairly high degree of specificity from the information already published, in aggregate, with the standby lists.
There is certainly some extrapolation going on, but there is absolutely no way for anyone to know right now how many elites of which level are on any individual wait list or how much they paid for their tickets. Yes, there is some aggregate data, but truly only at the VERY macroeconomic level, like average fare paid between city pairs in any given quarter. This proposal is asking for VERY SPECIFIC data to be provided not just to the consumer but to the competition as well. Were I running the business there is absolutely no way I'd release that data.
Originally Posted by
gk725
Any of CO's competitors could probably even personally identify all us, if they wanted, along with our flying and spending patters. We are not just random 4-letter combinations on a list. We are based in specific cities, take some routes much more frequently than others, get cleared off the upgrade standby list at different times based on our status, get cleared at different times further based on the fare class purchased, etc. And most of the true FFers in the bunch have multiple accounts with competing programs and occasionally (or frequently) fly on competitors' metal.
No way. Could AA mine my posts on FT and figure out my AAdvatage number? Maybe, but probably not. Certainly not based on my posted CO itinerary information.
Originally Posted by
gk725
SNGs (shenanigans) would be less likely to occur: More transparency = less opportunity to game the system = better experience for customer = increased customer loyalty.
This is the part I disagree with. The system is completely transparent in terms of where you are on the list. Why do you also need to know WHY you are in that position? Shenanigans happen when the list is simply ignored. Knowing that the three people ahead of you on the list are Platinums on Q fares doesn't matter at all when a non-rev is given a seat up front instead.