Originally Posted by
sbams
Did you have a bad experience, where you wanted to book a seat on a flight and couldn't? Otherwise what is the underlying reason for your post?
Yes! Three times this week! That's why my thought was "If they can do it on long haul, why not on short haul. And if other airlines with a very similar network and fleet can do it, why not AFKL"
Originally Posted by
sbams
I totally get your logic (so please don't tell me to read it again) but I fear the bottom line would be that in reality (that is where your logic falls short, it is more theoretical than practical)
That's the point, it is not theoretical, it is practical, it already does exist today! AFKL and all Skyteam partners do it - but only on long haul and only for the back of the bus. The Lufthansa Group companies offer it for all classes and on all flights.And by the way, so do some hotel chains and car rental companies: guaranteed bookings for top members. It's all a matter of inventory management. The technologies exist to do that, the companies have the data to run those technologies and make good forecasts and inventory optimization - so why not do it.
So it's not my logic that falls short. You're basically telling all those airlines and their professionals that what they do doesn't work.
Originally Posted by
sbams
every flight would have to be undersold until x hours before departure. Just incase 2 or 3 Plats may want to book a seat. Of course, in reality, this will rarely happen, so the seats will be opened for sale. But the potential customers who would have wanted to book these seats will now be booked on Lufthansa, or BA, or Turkish, or whoever had those seats available at the time they wanted them. These potential customers are not going to wait until 72 hours before departure just in case the seats open up. And then, in reality, how many Plats (or even Golds) will want to have a guaranteed J seat just before departure? Multiplied throughout the whole network.
1) Don't ask me. Ask the airlines, including AFKL, that do that already today. They seem to be living happily with it.
2) What is the problem? If there is a low priority/one time customer that goes to BA or TK that one time, and AF instead sells the seat at the highest price to one of its priority customers, that is the thing that makes business sense.
Originally Posted by
sbams
I think you can be sure that AF/KL has already run these numbers and decided against it.
Two possible explanations:
- They did not think of it. I find this the more likely explanation. AFKL took that concept of being that reliable partner of business travelers never very far, they didn't really think practicalities and needs of frequent travelers, but depending on which period of time you look at thought more in terms of "let's win the price war on the bottom against the LCCs" and "let's win on the top end and emphasise luxury, good good, French-ness, etc". I am talking more AF than KL here as I am more familiar with their way of thinking and how that translated into products. They just never really undertstood what a certain segment of customers needed, and didn't offer those products. Also, there at least was (still is?) that prevailing logic that pampering new customers with the hope to attract them is more important than trying to keep existing ones. Which explains why often nobodies get the op-ups and inexpensive upgrade offers, whilst top prio customes don't. All evidenced on this board
- They thought of it and came to the conclusion that they wouldn't need it and that it wouldn't be a benefit to some of their customers. For the same reasons as before.