Originally Posted by
canadiancow
26/30 was probably the real load the whole time. At check-in, AC sells upgrades for prices that a lot of people find reasonable. Finding 4 people to pay mid hundreds of dollars for a 7 hour flight is not challenging.
+1
From a purely anecdotal perspective, Mexico and the Caribbean tend to have high LMU sales. In general, I would think this applies to routes with a high percentage of leisure travelers since they may not have status (so no eupgrades) but may be willing to spend (Cancun is not the bargain destination it one was).
I've personally been burned by this a few times. My last flight back from the Dominican (which I think would have a somewhat similar passenger profile) I paid for the LMU despite being at the top of the eupgrade list. I figured $240 for 4 hours in wide body J was worth a guarantee.