Originally Posted by
eponymous_coward
Sure it will. It now costs less for an MVP to buy a fare that automatically snatches a seat out of the U bucket that a Gold is waiting for T-72 to clear into.
And those buckets still exist: LAX and West Coast, ORD, IAH and midcons, Mexico, the California-Hawaii routes, LAX-DCA...
That being said: it's not exactly surprising that AS would rather give that F seat to an MVP who's paying $400 for their fare a week before departure, as opposed to a Gold who's paying $150 and bought the G/T fare on sale a couple of months ago. This seems less objectionable than the Tens Of Dollars™ shenanigans the UA forum regulars rant about, where people are supposedly being upsold into F at checkin inexpensively who aren't elites, and trump elites on the waitlist...
This, like the guest upgrade chip chip chip™, is all about monetizing F. Pity AS doesn't seem to be doing things like, oh, adding power or better seats yet. Perhaps we'll see an announcement about that if AS is really serious about this?
I suspect AS is happy with the amenities/costs (for them) with current equipment. It'd be nice to have more in-seat power to go with wif-fi services or better seats, but I'd be surprised if AS offered this. I suspect that in the current environment they are pretty happy with their sales and don't feel a need to improve. They, like other airlines, are trying to find ways to get more $$$ out of fliers (particularly those who want F) and are willing to do that at the cost of upgrades to MVP/G/75k. If they can make more money, thats what they'll go for.
Now, this doesn't prevent flyers from choosing other airlines. If costs are the same, I'd personally rather go on Virgin for the SEA-SFO/LAX flights intead of AS since I'd never get an upgrade on AS anyways. Sure, I lose out on up to 954 RDM x 2 (AA EXP bonus) for taking VX, but it'd be a better experience that AS and I'm willing to do that.
With the AA DEQM this year I'll re-qual for EXP next month. I looked at qualifying either for AS MVPG or going with a UAL challenge. I think I'll go with UAL so that I have a broader base, more flights, and OK upgrade chances.