Originally Posted by shore9
still, to take away a confirmed upgrade and give the pax nothing in compensation is complete crap. They should offer J on another AC flight if possible, otherwise they should provide them compensation. If I want to fly in Y on a longhaul flight I will buy an L fare, not a high economy fare. If AC does give downgraded pax nothing, I really hope that those pax never fly AC again, and at least send them a message. I know sometimes that it is out of their control, but it is not the pax fault for faulty aircrafts. I specifically booked YUL - HKG via YVR just to avoid the chance of being downgraded to Y, I even had to fly on a day not to my liking, but its a price you pay to get what you want.
There is a difference between buying Y or M to secure an upgrade "confirmation" at reservation and buying a cheapest upgradable economy fare to try to secure an upgrade during the window, or airport upgrade standby. The latter is playing aerolotto. I don't feel as bad if my upgrade was subsequently taken away (due to equipment change, etc.) as it was never assured. However, in the former case, it's not fair.