The arguments being posted on this board against HoKeY are just not persuasive.

First of all, you are arguing that elites should be entitled to preferential pricing (in the form of a 60-80% discount) on CO's highest margin product. While such a discount would be truly wonderful, it really isn't reasonable to expect it.

CO likely makes more money on the five or six thousand dollar (or more) BF fare than they do on $50,000 of domestic flying in discount economy. Despite whatever value CO places on your loyalty (and I will leave that to your estimation), it really doesn't make business sense for them to give away a BF seat to maintain it.

It seems to me that the only legitimate complaint you can have against CO is with its pricing, not its OP upgrade policy. Even then, though, the original demand of a greater than 80% discount comes close to being in bad faith. If someone asked your business for a discount of that order, what would your response be? I know what mine would be: "go to hell."

What I still don't understand is why members of this board feel *entitled* to these discounts (call them upgrades if you like)? To me the only people who are *entitled* to a bf seat are those who pay for it. Like you or me, CO can set its prices, and the market can take them or leave them.

*Deserve* doesn't enter into the equation. For the record, I think that everyone deserves to sit in BF. I also think that everyone deserves to have to live with dignity, have enough to eat, feel safe, etc. That, however, is a utopian vision and for better or worse CO, like the rest of the world, is not a utopia.

By the way, I also think that your secretary deserves to make as much as you (even if your salary has to be lowered to meet his/hers) and that a family from the inner city deserves to live in the same neighborhood as you (we'll just turn your house into a duplex). After all, this is America and we are all equal.

Secondly, some of you have directed anger and 'resentment" toward CO line employees. Those are statements that condemn themselves and I hope that CO employees know that they are not reflective of the attitude of the majority of FT'ers.

jh