FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - [Speculation] AS to Eliminate Gold Guest Upgrades (GGUs)? Hints from a New AS Survey
Old Jul 14, 2020, 11:07 pm
  #13  
metallo
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: STL/ORD/MCI/SAN
Programs: AA CK MM, AC SE100K, BA Gold, UA 1K, DL Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,989
Originally Posted by jiburi
I’m one traveler who rarely use the GGU perk.

I do like the idea if we were given options to choose as 95% to 100% of my GGU expire unused yearly.

Jiburi
I find them difficult to use, as well. There were other questions in the survey that asked how likely you would be to buy a specific GGU-able fare class, particularly if upgrade space were not available at the time (it said something like "upgrade space not guaranteed") vs. having a bank of funds to use on paid First tickets ("to be used on any flight with First Class seats available").

I think they are recognizing that it can be cumbersome to find GGU space and select the specific fare class (and that passengers might not want to gamble on paying for a higher coach fare class if 'U' space isn't available). By shifting to booking F seats from the start, it would mean less worrying about fare classes and upgrade availability, but the suggested bank amount of $500 wouldn't even cover the gap between discount Y and F on many routes for a single itinerary (vs. at least 4 GGUs).

Originally Posted by SimonT007
Although I use some of them each year, I do find GGU hard to use, there is rarely availability on the flights I take. I would prefer roll over EQM.
I think the rollover EQM idea is intriguing, but to be honest, even though I've been 75k for several years straight now, I do it on all AS metal, and it's hard to fly AS much more than 75k miles a year due to the limited route network. On AA, I might hit 200k EQM (so it would be very nice to rollover EQMs there), but on AS, I usually only hit 75-80k EQM.
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