I think they realised exactly what Dave and I were talking about in another thread recently: it can sometimes be cheaper (in terms of $$$ and definitely Skywards Miles) to by a cheap Economy ticket and upgrade with miles to Business.

Therefore, to stop this they are now blocking the cheapest Saver tickets for upgrades until check-in to make them less attractive and to exclude the chauffeur drive.

Yet another devaluation in an already abysmal Frequent Flyer Program. It's amazing how much things changed in just 2-3 years...