I've long been a fan of the POUGs on European short hauls – they've played a significant part in my ability to attain and retain status over the years.

Interestingly, I've noticed that the two most recent POUGs I've taken advantage of have booked into 'U' fare class. I can only ever remember them being 'I' class. In both instances the original booking was a cash HBO fare, and MMB shows both as earning full CE TPs and Avios.

I don't pretend to know the first thing about yield management, however, is it not a little greedy / cheeky of BA to grab a bit of cash for a POUG and at the same time remove a seat from what would otherwise be award inventory?

At the end of the day I've got a CE seat and all the associated benefits for a reasonable price, so I'm a happy customer. It's the next customer who can't find any award seats I feel a little sorry for.