Originally Posted by
MiamiMike
Is it just me or does it feel disingenuous that aa sells upgrades after upgrade windows open. I worked hard to get my exec plat status and it is frustrating to check if my upgrade cleared just to see that they continue to sell upgrades at decreasing prices as departure gets closer. Seats that would have been awarded to loyal elites are being sold on the cheap. As a shareholder, I can appreciate revenue maximization, but I feel like this significantly diminishes the value of status and loyalty, which has a worse impact on revenue. I could have flown other airlines for less but didn’t with the hopes of being upgraded. This selling upgrades almost guaranties I won’t be upgrades. What is the point of continued loyalty?
Totally against this practice. It is one of the main reasons I shifted from being a UA 1K to Exec Platinum back in the day. Now, no airlines value status as much anymore. Thankfully, I just hit 1MM with UA and and close with AA and won't have to chase status as much anymore. Still, I find AA's program to be better to top tier flyers than UA's, but am sadly seeing that value erode away.