I agree with AB on this topic. Every carrier has a set of fares which seems astronomical and rediculous, but they are the official tariffs shared by all carriers on most given city pairs. When I was checking out the space on my UA flights on ITN, I was getting full fare quotes between ORD and SEA in the US$2,200 one way range.

The real problem is that air fares have seldom reflected the cost of operating the airline, nor flying a particular route. There are so many variables that come into play, including now just getting the seats filled at any cost. [And remember the US carriers each got a US$1 billion+ or more each to subsidize their most recent seat sales.]

I'be written about this before, so won't bore you with my treatice here. But something AC might consider is a sensible new set of domestic tariffs to start off, including an advance purchase J fare. Maybe that would take the pressure of the current upgrade fiasco: afterall, paying 50% of the posted full J fare for a more restricted version of a front cabin seat might prove more appealing and saleable that the lottery they've set up for elites starting March 1st.