hhdl

Likewise the US carriers' Same Day Change programs exclude international (including short-haul) to at least some extent (DL for instance allows it after all international segments have been flown). In the US, the ability to reroute (e.g. to an hour-earlier flight via DTW instead of going via ATL) via other hubs also increases the ability to take advantage.

fivesixseven

For me, an airline becomes much more attractive if it offers me flexibility on the day of departure. I take this benefit for frequent travelers with the Eurostar train very often between Amsterdam and Paris, and I am very happy with it.

Maestro Ramen

Offering an earlier flight to the customer is practically zero expense for the airline, for a potential big gain. The pax is already at the airport and there is a space on the earlier plane? Costs nothing to shove them on it and they free a spot for the later flight to potentially sell to someone else. I don't see how this is anything else that win/win in anyone's mind.

michaeldovecharlie

There is an expense. I need to go to Berlin in July and the day I am looking at is 45 euros more for the flight I want to take compared to the flight that is at the end of the day (also the cheapest flight). A DL elite told me once that he just buys the cheapest ticket on the day he is flying (that he would also accept if he needed to take it) because he is able to do DoD changes - so that represents lost revenue. It doesn't represent all cases, like when I just bill to my company I both don't care how much my ticket costs for the flight that I need, or when I was a younger lad who would wake up at 3AM to save 3 euros. Presumably it would be recovered by some degree with people flying more with AFKL to get to Platinum instead of Gold, and also like you mentioned the seat could be sold or used to accommodate a missed connection. I don't have the data to know if this is a good business decision, but ultimately I think this is the most costly of my suggestions, and all benefits are difficult to claw back on. FB offering this would be committing to it...

hhdl

In the case of DL, note that for Y, they require availability of the original booking class: one of the rationales for buying domestic F or Comfort+ is that it unlocks the ability to change to any available Y seat (if F was bought, there's the ability to change to an available F seat, but very often an SDC will be a voluntary downgrade).

This does reduce the ability to book the cheapest routing and change day-of, though in many cases C+ ends up being cheaper on one routing than Y on another.

fivesixseven

True. I was once at DCA waiting for my flight to ORD, and a UA gate agent said: "If you need to go to LGA, and you are early at the airport, come and see me at the podium and you can take the current flight." I thought that was phenomenal, that they offered it themselves. Apparently, there were some open seats that they didn't mind to fill with passengers that would be a on a later flight. Wish it was also the case here in Europe.

DuyT

There could be multiple ways to implement the benefit which range from some benefit to almost full flex within the DoD; where each would have a different hidden/opportunity costs involved form very small/negliable to perhaps the fare difference between the cheapest light fare ticket and full fare economy.
1) only to earlier flights, but have to be physically at the gate to request/receive it. Lowest cost risk, gate agent can always prioritise operational urgencies (rebookings, IRROPs etc) before granting this option. This is spoilage anyway and gaming the benefit at time of booking because comes at some threshold due to requirement to be physically there
2) only allow to changing to earlier flight in the day, not later. Probably higher likelihood later flights in the day need to be used for rebooking passengers, so this is kind of middle scenario. There can be opportunity costs here for airline
3) allow change to any flight DoD.

the scenario’s above can each be amended to allow only standard fare or higher tickets to use the benefit, and exclude the light fares from this. This would negate some of the actual economic benefit for the PAX of course, but also it would reduce gaming it more. There might also exist some other possible variations of the above scenario’s for such a benefit. Any version offered of course would be better than none.


NB: AF/KLM don’t sell directly into their version of comfort+, so that scenario isn’t possible for these airlines unless they rehaul their ticketing/cabin fare structure for it. Eco Comfort, is a ticket option that has be added on later, like extra baggage; nothing more.

Fabo.sk

I think "physical presence at the airport to change for an earlier flight" is the easiest barrier to entry to manage, in a simple way - is there space? OK, you go. Could be confirmed as late as at gate at boarding time, per requirements.

Switching to a later flight might not be offered, or might be offered on OLCI only if airline figures there's enough space to leave breathing room for irrops if/as needed.

Neither of this would be confirmed in advance, so people who absolutely need the couple hours extra would still have to pay for the change.

Would it result in people doing the "I will buy the chepaest available ticket that I will be happy to use and attempt to change to one that is at a better time"? Perhaps. But, how many would? If my prefered flight is midday, and the cheapest flight is early morning, I still have to get up early to try and change. If my prefered flight is in the morning and the chapest is midday, do I just show up hours early and hope for the best? I really don't know.

Also an easy solution to prevent irrops issues, only allow it on direct flights, or last segment of the flight.

DuyT

I agree, the gate option is easiest to implement, hardest to game and provides some benefits which are mostly to help people in certain specific scenario’s (I need/want to go back sooner and instead of paying 3x original airfare for ticket change, head to airport early and hope plane isn’t full). Obviously, the most preferred option would be full flex DoD changes, but I don’t see that happening anywhere in the near future (or ever). The potential opportunity costs for the airline are very easy to calculate while the revenue benefits from people trying to hit Plat in large part due to this incremental benefit is near impossible to estimate, so most corporate managers would be hesitant to add something that; since any business case would be built on pretty much hopes and dreams.

This type of benefit is still high on my wish list though. Highest is still giving making it official that Plat can grant SP to 1 guest traveler in same PNR.

Lemonwings

I have the impression that some level of flexibility is already offered by airport agents on a discretionary basis. Have other FTers noticed that?
I have tried dozens of times to take an earlier flight, either at check-in counter or at the gate. I think my success rate (not scientifically measured) is 20-25%. It's higher when I can explain my initial flight will be delayed. It's very hard to say whether my Platinum status helps as it seems to be very agent-dependent. Recent sucesses occured in ORY, NCE, BCN. It always feels a bit like gambling though.

jerry_greece

Not something official but your best best is to try at the gate. It happened to me once on a long-ish (because cheaper) connection at CDG (onwards to AMS) and the lounge agent told me to try at the gate. Even without status, it seems that you might be re-accomodated. A friend (no status) did it in AMS for a flight to NCL (4 flights a day) connecting from a long-haul and arrived earlier and the gate agent just issued the new BP on the spot, no questions asked. But of course these data points do not constitute a rule and if successful it should not be a given.

Xandrios

At CDG they offered doing that at the 2F transfer desk once. Though I do believe that this is mainly offered if there is a benefit for the airline, e.g. reducing load on an overbooked flight, etc.

DuyT

I can live with an official benefit that is ‘yes, unless…’. But an unofficial one where it is effectively “no, unless it benefits us as airline to avoid paying overbooking penalties” means it rarely can be counted upon when you might most want it and hence isn’t really a thing to consider into your plans at all.

JorgeGomez

Once again the same experience as the last few times. Absolutely nothing.
AF1445.
No greeting or anything else. OK, that's usually normal on short-haul flights.
AF436. Also nothing at all. Just a personal greeting and long conversation from the purser with one passenger. Definitely an ultimate. Orders were not given priority either. No greeting by name. Absolutely nothing.
As I've already mentioned, the installation of Ultimate as a separate status has led to the Platinum being completely devalued. A sad development.

Maestro Ramen

Nothing's been devaluated because there was nothing to begin with say I from 12A CDG-TUN after the couple in 12D-F got served some drink in a cup before everyone else in Y.

On the glass half full side, I have one of the 3 empty seats in the whole flight next to me.

Also I have been brought a bottle of red from J, after asking for a second serving. The J wine is so much better.

This does seem ton appen often on AF. I wonder if it's because they don't stock enough Merlot for the Y cattle... or just maybe could it be... a platinum effect ?!?