Originally Posted by
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airline to otherwise go out empty. The marginal cost of food and alcohol is minimal and more than made up by being able to resell the original economy seat. Similarly any costs related to lounge use is also recouped by the resale of the original economy seat. So "Bottom Feeders" are actually beneficial to the airlines, not a liability.
Alas, if only the beancounters at AC saw it that way. I suspect they see every upgrade as a J ticket unsold, rather than as an extra Y seat. In their math, 2 Y tickets probably brings them $3500 or so, while a J ticket would have brought in $6k, plus the extra $2500 for the Y seat.
Rightly or wrongly, given the attitude we seem to be seeing, this is what they seem to be basing this on.