Originally Posted by
AAerSTL
EconomyPlus is PM-UA garbage and it does reduce F seats.
I think you know how inflammatory the first part of that statement is. E+ was a silver lining of innovation in this industry, one whose benefits have probably accrued to more passengers than it may have harmed through denied upgrades. UA made a mistake getting rid of e500s and adopting UDU and, post-merger, EUA. Back when I was a multiple-year 2P, UA's product lineup was a godsend: Upgrades when I really wanted them (instead of sporadically and rarely now for Silvers) and E+ very consistently. E+, of course, is no longer a given for Silvers, but remains more of a cherished consolation prize for all tiers when our upgrades don't clear than it ever has been. Even legacy CO management has seen the power of that.
Technically, I'd also point out that it's not necessarily zero-sum between E+ and F. Just look at the 757 fleet: UA now has a mix of F24/E+/E-, F24/E- (for now), and F16/E+/E-, plus p.s. It's door 2 that affects F capacity, not E+.