Originally Posted by J.Edward

As iahphx notes there's more elites out there right now due to DEQM and the other various ways to sneak up a level (i.e. elite maximizer) so right there you've got more competition for the upgrade.

Secondly, and far more damaging the faux elites (which are certainly there, but probably not the extent implied here on FT) are the Y/B/M/up-sell nonsense that CO's been gorging themselves on recently. That has done far more to erode the "cornerstone" benefit of the elite program as it panders to a far wider audience base than a DEQM promo.

You're "average" elite might not get the DEQM promo and what it means, but when they get an email from CO dangling a confirmed upgrade for some ridiculously low rate, especially if they're a Gold/Silver, they all the more likely to jump on it.

Luckily the YBM fares have gone up to be more in line with the industry average and hopefully we'll have an elite purge come the end of Feb - both of which will help with the upgrade situation.