Originally Posted by
bocastephen
No, they don't want seats filled, nor do other passengers - what they want is money. BR is now running 1x daily LAX/TPE while CI dropped to 1x weekly. I was at LAX and went with my father in law in the terminal to the BR gate and while we were waiting to board, there were people in head to toe hazmat suits, complete with face masks and ventilators - not sure if they were getting on a plane or stepping inside the Chernobyl reactor....so what BR wants is the highest possible revenue per passenger, and they are OK with fewer passengers, which is why they are only selling Y, K, L or J fares, no discounts, and upgrades are cash only - the amount we were quoted from PY to J for my FIL was $3,800.
I had multiple discussions with my BR contacts and the initial embargo was through summer, but now it's extended to 12/31/20 and might go longer depending on how things play out.
I have read the comments in this thread and it really doesn't make sense that they are blocking SAUA . If the issue is cash flow, I do not see how stopping upgrades reduces cash. WRT SAUA, one most book a more expensive fare to start of with, Y,B or K - they offer lower fares however, they do not qualify for upgrades. People will not decide to travel or not based on upgrade availability - even if they would, then EVA would gain due to the increased load. Having said that, in my case I have booked Toronto - Taipei ,return, departing mid Sept and returning March 2021. The ticket cost $2000 CDN , B fare. Was unable to get SAUA outbound but successful on 2021 return. This airfare is about 25% higher than the usual for this time of year. IMHO EVA may be blocking SAUA in the short term due to risk associated with solvency of airlines/star alliance.