Originally Posted by
ryman554
Look. If upgrades are gone and the cabin is full.... That means they are monetizing either through full fare or other means.
Is this really a bad thing?
For the airline? Today? No, it's a good thing.
But what about tomorrow? How many passengers are going to say, "My upgrades are only seldomly clearing. Why should I continue to fly this airline?"
Your position mirrors United's. There is no concern about tomorrow and long term effects of not rewarding loyalty adequately. I strongly predict this is going to come back and bite United in the proverbial rear. To a certain extent, it already has. Just look at the PRASM numbers compared to the competition.
From a passengers' perspective, this is always a bad thing. And I am a passenger, not an airline.