Originally Posted by
barracuda93
IMO very, very few get upgraded without holding elite status, and those who are, are usually upgraded at the gate. So it looks very questionable how much airline actually saves (not allowing non-elite op-ups that are upgraded in advance) vs a negative impact on image that is not limited to those actually affected.
The argument is relatively moot. This "no lounge for op ups (or no F lounge if upgraded an unentitled)" has been the CX policy for the decade + I've been flying,
and there has never been an issue with it. It is only an issue now because a HK guy became a minor celebrity in the tabloids recently with his tantrum about not getting the lounge with an upgrade. I'm not sure if you read or understand Chinese, but the response to him locally has ranged between amusement to "he is an embarrassment to Hong Kong", to quote one talking head. Except here in this thread only, I cannot say I've heard an ounce of support. I don't think these last 10 years CX has been losing any goodwill with the policy, and ironically has gained some local sympathies by the entitled behavior of that guy. And this thread only came about because of the language CX added to clarifytheir existing (admittedly, unwritten) policy, which in turn only came about because of that guy in the papers.
I don't think anyone is going to change their mind if it's the right marketing / goodwill move or not. We have a difference of mind. I can live with that.
But I can assure you the math makes no sense with CX paying cash to the lounge operator. Especially since CX went to the CIV upgrade system, whereby indeed elites are sometimes bypassed for upgrades in favor of the black box CIV. CX flies premium planes to TPE, for example 77H and 77A which can each have over 60 J + F seats. You can have flights where 30-40 pax are upgraded and many won't have elite status. CX configurations skew very premium, but those planes fly everywhere, including one hour flights to TPE and 90 min flights to MNL.
And of course, even with elites in F, often Golds (OWS) are upgraded. It's disingenuous to say "they already have lounge access". Sure, but they have J lounge access only. To go to F, that costs CX more cash. Same idea.
Anyway I realize nobody's mind is going to be changed. But CX has always done this, and it has never been an issue. I don't really see it changing. They're just clarifying formally so they have some text to prevent a situation like the one I refer to above. If it was written down, the guy would've backed down and the heated situation would've been over instead of escalating.