Originally Posted by b33g
(a) Those pax are obvioulsy leisure travelers or they would have been seated in E+.
(b) Good for United to sell one more set of tickets.
(c) Next time when those pax want to buy a ticket, they will think about snatching one more of those E+ seats again and they will book United.
(d) (b) + (c) imply more revenue for United.
(e) (d) implies more perks for loyal customers and elites like us.
As a newly (re)minted 2P, I'd have to disagree with you. Many business travelers are in the 15k EQM/yr range and thus NOT in E+. But, they fly enough to (and I count myself in this pack even pre-FT).
a) Know what it is and how good it is.
b) Know that I'm often allowed to switch seats after the door closes.
I'd often wait for the GA and inquire about a better seat "further forward" if I got a seat waaay in the back. Often these would come through on lightly loaded flights, but I'd never go for a middle. For me, an aisle in E- beats a middle in E+, less needed legroom, but a little more "personal" space.
I also doubt that a leasure traveler is going to pony up the added cost for a YBM fare to get E+, or even (for most) pay the check-in upgrade if offered.