Originally Posted by
billdokes
This has been happening for quite sometime...supply and demand...lots more people willing to pay for J, pay for Instant UG's, pay for LMU's and for PY tickets to move themselves higher on the list. I'm surprised there were 5/20 open, that's 25% of the seats available at boarding for e-Up which I expect is below their target. The days of being a SE and buying a lower fare Y ticket expecting to e-Up appear to be over, at least for now, on any high demand route.
Agree with billdokes here, especially for high popularity routes such as YYZ-HND / YYZ-NRT. It's not just eUps being priced out by Instant Ups and LMUs, even the LMUs themselves are being priced out by "faster LMUs". I'll quote myself from above, for my own experience trying to get an LMU for YYZ-HND back this October 2024, with edits for clarity.
Originally Posted by
CDB-Man
Take the last minute upgrade (LMU) at T-24 check-in immediately, if it is a price you are willing to pay. I checked in to my flight at 23:58 before takeoff [for $1755/pax PE to J], and because I was too slow in completing the LMU transaction, I lost my spot. When the page re-loaded, the LMU price was increased by $200 [to $1928/pax]... this was at 23:55!! Act fast, be there at T-24 on the dot, and action quickly if the LMU price is acceptable to you.
Being 3 minutes too slow on LMU cost me $200 extra! The availability was J6 on a 787-9 before I got beat, then J4 when I tried again 3 minutes later.