Originally Posted by
Eastbay1K
Forgot to comment on this one - that comment doesn't make logical sense, as they'd get $1700 from the non-elite, v. getting $700 from me and giving me the seat for free (if available). The less likely they sell the seats, the more likely they give them away.
But it does make logical sense.
Lets assume AS still allowed F with the companion pass. Under what circumstance would you have paid $1700 for 2 F tickets using the companion pass vs. paying $700 and using upgrade certs? For elite members with upgrade certs, the only rational time to use the companion pass, when this sort of pricing disparity exists, is when there is no upgradable space, i.e. during peak travel seasons (Christmas, etc...). It is at those times that AS likely loses a lot of potential premium cabin revenue to the F companion passes.