Originally Posted by JohnAx
But..but..but didn't I read that it was an A-class ticket, i.e. an OWE or some such discount first-class ride? My understanding of the OWE contract is that if you have an A-class ticket and there are no A-class seats available, they can put you in coach (assuming the business cabin is also full), take it or leave it. You're free to adjust your schedule to a day when an A seat is available, or ride in the seat that's there.
That is not the meaning of the AONE fare rule. The point is that if you CHOOSE, when booking, to travel in D, either because there is no A availability on the date or because the route doesn't have a First class, you aren't entitled to a refund. As soon as you are confirmed on your flight, the same conditions of carriage apply to everyone (even award pax), and involuntary downgrade compensation must be offered if you can't be accommodated in your ticketed class of travel.
That said, I think US$1000 and a systemwide upgrade is a more than appropriate compensation for a F->J bump on a discount ticket. These things do happen. The compensation for a single mishap on a 20-segment OWE will, even at these levels, mean that the airline won't be able to make ANY money off the whole ticket. And while you may think that's fine, I'm afraid the airlines aren't going to like those odds.
To me, the continued existence and availability of the AONE fare is much more important that lavish compensation in the case something goes wrong.