Originally Posted by
mikeyyz
I suspect partially because my bags were already checked and I was insistent I wasn't boarding in Y, they ended up finding a J seat for me while I showered at the MLL... and there were several livid people who had paid J getting downgraded. Part of the issue for me was that they didn't offer CLEAR compensation. If they had said "here is a $500 or $1000 voucher for the downgrade" I probably would have been tempted but it was all "contact ticketing after your flight and they will refund the fare difference"
First, this is a different issue because it's downgrading a ticket
from the class of service it was booked in vs. downgrading
to the originally booked/paid class. When a person is eUpgraded, the original fare basis remains the same. If they are later downgraded, no compensation is due besides return of the eUpgrade credits. AC may choose to offer other accommodation (such as changing to a different flight where the eUp can remain confirmed) as a goodwill gesture, but they aren't obliged to do so.
However, I agree with you - "fare difference" is not a reassuring form of compensation because months later when AC refund services responds, they are likely going to say "Dear Mr. mikeyyz, we have reviewed your case and found that the fare for the itinerary you flew, booked in full Y class, exceeds what you paid for your P fare, therefore no fare difference is owing". And you will likely have no way of proving the historical restricted economy fares that were available at the time you booked your P fare.