Originally Posted by
craigthemif
Your logic is short term. If one business traveller doesn't pay $3000 for a walk-up J fare and takes their chances on a $600 upgrade, IB needs to upgrade 5 people just to break even. Given the internal economics of Avios, even more Avios upgrades would be needed. This isn't a good deal for IB.
And FWIW, most other airlines aren't going to give you an empty J seat internationally either, so if you are still fuming with IB you just haven't experienced the same thing with every other airline yet...
Lately I am flying the ORD - LHR - ORD or DFW - LHR - DFW routes, they offer me PUPG all the time when I am in WTP to jump to CW, if not a system upgrade automatically. Not sure about your statement above in other airlines, but BA is not the case you say, at least for me. Maybe I am a specially lucky guy.
I agree with you though about the +600 USD rather than $3000 ticket, but normally all of us travel on the company expenses (I believe) so you book as per the company policies which will be J for the flight anyways... why are you going to risk your journey in J for a potential savings for the company when travelling in J is the policy?