Originally Posted by
chiph
We've all observed it and ostensibly understand the reasoning. However, sometimes it seems a little ridiculous. For example, I'm on a flight on Thursday morning (<2 days from now) that has 14 seats open in F and only 9 people seated in the elite area. Yes, several rows of "OOO-OOO" on the pda site. It's literally wide open.
It seems counter to the whole notion that pplat UGs will start to clear at 6 days. Why not just say the entire thing happens at the 36h mark and is run by status? I don't understand why they bother with the whole 6, 5, 3, and 1 day thing if it rarely works.
This is not a complaint about the likelihood of upgrades -- I have a very high success rate and am completely satisfied. I just don't understand the whole "EUA window" notion when seats are held back for so long now.
Many have said this lots of times. If you want assurance of a first class seat, either buy an F sear or an upgradeable Y seat. Have you tried to book a B or M upgrade seat to see if they are available? If they are not, then CO has a high expectation of being able to sell those seats as F seats. This happens to me often, especially on the LAX-CLE red-eye where B seats book into the back of the bus. (They usually still get the EUA eventually, but not at 6,5 or 3 days before the flight).
I have seen many a flight from CLE-LAS have 14 open seats 1 week out to 7 seats 4 days out to 1 seat 2 days out and sold out at flight time. It is CO's job to make money on these seats, and as far as I am concerned, as long as they don't sell them for less than what I would have paid when I booked the reservation, I am satisfied with the system.
Upgrades are bonuses for loyalty, not rights.