FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - 2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
Old Oct 19, 2014, 7:28 am
  #517  
bmwe92fan
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Sorry the logic of this statement is escaping me.
1- Why wouldn't elites who travel far more frequently be a target for paid upgrades. Especially mid-level elites with low chances of CPU.
2-Since elites travel more frequently, they tend to be a high percentage of the passengers on most flights, why would you target only a portion of the customer base.
3-Why would you price something higher to a supposedly "less susceptible" group and lower to a "more susceptible" group? That is the reverse of most pricing models I am aware of.
The short answer is because that isn't how UA looks at us at all...

1. The view elites as someone already committed to them and no need to reward
2. See #1 - they already have us so they focus on others...
3. IMO It's become all about customer acquisition to UA, not retention. They are assuming - perhaps falsely - that their elites are going to mostly stay with them, so they focus all their efforts (and marketing spend i.e. less expensive upgrade costs) on converting their less committed customers into the brand with a better experience.
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