Originally Posted by
LIH Prem
Sounds too much like COs upgrades for 10s of dollars. Most of our compadres that fly CO don't like that system either.
I think the better way for you Mike, is to use some form of confirmable upgrade for your lower or no status companions, and hope that they clear prior to the flight. You still might get separated, but that's the chance you take.
It's tough when you travel with family members. I always used to give my upgrades to the wife when I was married if we both didn't clear or there were more of us traveling than could be upgraded. I just made sure I ended up in a decent E+ seat.
-David
The devil's in the details; would it still seem like COs approach if the cost was 15,000 miles? UDU is screwed up because there's no ability for the customer to allocate resources. An upgrade on any given flight could mean more to a lesser elite than a 1K; the 1K might have row 6 on an A320 without food service but he or she's going to get that upgrade whether he or she likes it or not. If you could buy your way up the list (to the level of the person you're traveling with, who still may or may not get the upgrade) then some of this would be addressed, because the lower tiered folks would be using resources on flights that actually meant something to them. Similarly, the 1Ks could use CR1s on the flights important to them.
So yes, I'm also suggesting the 1K could opt to use a CR1 and jump ahead of those who aren't willing to do so. Why should it be so different at the gate than beforehand?