Originally Posted by
fly747first
Yes, but VX has small F cabins of just 8 seats and in my experience, mostly FLL-LAX/SFO and JFK/SFO, these flights have been entirely full up front.
compare this to AS F, where they never go out with an empty seat but the average spread over full Y that the average F pax pays to get up there is probably negative.
VX extracts incremental revenue or a corresponding reduction in FF liabilities from virtually every butt in that cabin on every flight every day. AS cannot say the thing about their F, largely because their hard product is a screw at list price - I believe a majority of the seats are sold at a reduction from even Y fares. People are willing to do it on VX because the seat is better, the catering is better, the IFE is better and the price premium/what you get ratio is better.
Eastern Airlines would have been the most profitable airline in the world at the time of their demise had they had two more full-Y pax on every flight. VX similarly saw the bottom-line value of attracting a few pax who willingly pay for premium cabin service rather than demand comps as a condition of their fealty.