Originally Posted by
notquiteaff
Elites will buy? I guess I am confused: Elites (other than silver) get the ELRs for free at booking, no? And that's not going to change, it's just that previously passengers ineligible to buy ELRs at booking now can fork over cash and get them right away.
I flash back to the Q&A with Dougie Parker at the DO - he played dumb when US FFers tried to tell him that they weren't getting enough Preferred (aka elite zone) seats held, and were instead having to fork over $5-10 for the Choice seats (same elite zone, just not free for elites).
In response to the crowd saying that US was the only program to charge its elites for better Y seats, he basically said "it's only a matter of time before the other majors start doing the same thing".
While Newnited hasn't quite stooped to this level yet, I can now see the day where $misekCo says "you know what, those ELR seats are purdy good - almost like a poor man's F, I think Elites should have to pay at least a little to reserve them".
Based on the "enhancements" (and lack of any response to our concern), this won't shock me now.