Originally Posted by
1353513636
I honestly do wonder if UA implemented BE on very high fares so business travellers on certain types of policies would be forced to book them. Because no one in their right mind would give up a carry on bag and refundability to save $5. Also, how else does it make sense that the non BE upcharge is less on very high fares.
My interpretation is that someone in the marketing department wanted a "last seat availability" talking point; revenue management stepped in and said that United would lose its shirt if it made BE fares attractive to business purchasers (read: raised prices on non-BE enough so that people would be tempted), so they compromised with a fare that they don't expect anyone to purchase.
Also, keep in mind that many corporate contracts discount Y, B, M, E fares a lot more than $5. Unless that discount carries through to the BE fare, it's entirely possible that these customers would have to pay
more in order to buy BE.
These fares are intended for purchase by the traveling public, not business travelers. UA won't turn down a last-minute CVG-CMI Y-BN traveler, but those aren't their target market.