Originally Posted by
swingaling
I'm flying AKL-HKG (CX198) in a few couple days and Upgrade Bid to J is now available for that flight. Average upgrade price is showing as $2,305 USD, with a default/recommended bid of $1,665 USD ("Strong" chance). Minimum bid is $895, with "Poor" chance of an upgrade.
These prices are idiotic! I bought a family member a ticket on CX, HKG-AKL earlier this year. If memory serves me right I spent about $4k USD.
I don't know what economy class costs, but let's say it's $800 USD round-trip. This "strong chance" $1,665 you mention would imply a $4,130 round-trip ticket cost ($800 economy + $1,650 + $1,650 for the biz class upgrades). Except you have to deal with the hassle of an upgrade bid, the uncertainty, the lack of mileage accrual, and whatever else stupidity is built into the system. Whereas I literally just went on the website, spent 5 minutes and bought her a ticket (it was maybe April or May, something like that) and I was done with the hassle. I don't see there is any value here?
I still think this bidding system overall is just an admission that CX sucks at its own revenue control/ yield management.
I didn't check, but with ex-outport fares as cheap as they are, perhaps my $4k HKG-AKL ticket was more expensive than ex-somewhere else. That almost always seems to be the case when I buy ex-HKG tickets, that it would've been cheaper to start somewhere else. In which case the bidding price for your example doesn't make any sense to me.
Prices in J class have fallen enough lately that you're just better off buying the damn J ticket.