Originally Posted by
hoipolloi
Paradoxically, as a P25K, it is less worthwhile for me to fork out extra money for a Comfort or Flex fare versus a Standard fare because I already get most benefits provided by the higher fares - such as checked bags, free advance seat selection and priority at the airport - as part of my status.
So the only stand out benefits to buying a higher fare for someone with status are lower change fees (more flexibility), and better CHANCES for an upgrade.
Do many people buy more expensive fares just to improve their chances for clearing an eUpgrade ?
Huh? P25K confers no "free advance seat election" on Standard fares, nor does it even give a discount on preferred seats. Only SE offers any seating benefits on Standard fares.
Also, Flex means no-copay on upgrades, which often exceeds the fare difference in the North American market since the introduction of branded fares. Heck, when I booked my HKG trip last year, the fare difference from Basic to PY Lowest was less than the co-pay from Standard.
Also, looking back at 2013 when I was E35K, I missed a YYZ-YUL and YYZ-SFO before I became E50K.
I cleared:
SFO-YVR
YVR-YYZ
YUL-YVR
YVR-SFO
LAX-YVR
YVR-YYZ
YYZ-EWR
LGA-YOW
YOW-YHZ
YHZ-YYT
YYT-YUL
YYZ-YVR
YVR-SFO
SFO-YVR
YVR-YYZ
YYZ-YUL
YUL-YYZ
SFO-YVR
YVR-SFO
SFO-YVR
YVR-YUL
YOW-YYZ
YYZ-SFO
So the idea that low status can't get upgrades is wrong. Some of those were M fares booked within my window, but a bunch were gate upgrades or other tickets booked months out with no real insight into loads.