Originally Posted by
Souvlaki
This is true. Are you simply pointing this out as a fact, or do you also mean that this militates against auto-upgrades at the T+ windows?
I know FT'ers all benefit from our enhanced knowledge of fare structures and upgrade strategies and so on. But really, from a customer satisfaction standpoint, it doesn't make any sense to require specialized knowledge to make use of a frequent-flyer benefit. It doesn't make a lot of sense to have your customers having to be "on the ball" all the time, and tracking ever-changing rules and practices in order to be able to use the system. Hell, the fact that FF internet forums even exist is testament to the airline industry's nearly universal bias towards opacity in business practices.
Therefore, I would tend to favour some form of an auto-upgrade system. If I wanted first-come-first-served for the good seats on an airplane, I'd be flying something like Southwest and boarding with my elbows up.
I want more control over the upgrade decisions than I'd expect with an auto-upgrade process. Auto-upgrade might work for single-segment trips, but it gets "interesting" as soon as you add more. For example, I have an upcoming YVR - YYC - IAH itin. I'll only upgrade on the first leg if I can do it on the long one. Coming back - I'll take an upgrade on the long leg even if I can't get the short one.
And somehow it seems to me that the customer who takes the time to figure out all the ins and outs of maximizing their own customer experience - is by definition a more "engaged" customer - and in my guess - likely to be a more loyal customer. (Sounds like a research project for somebody.)