bzman

I am a 75k, and have been that way since its inception several years ago. Since then, I have been upgraded about 60-75% of the time on my flights. Except for this year.
I am in the middle of my fourth trip this year and have gotten an upgrade just once... a flight to SFO the first week of the year on a plane that had not been configured yet.
Today is the seventh flight since Jan 1(It is Jan 21) I have taken, a Saturday flight to FLL. If anything you'd think a 75k could at least get an UG on that flight ... nope it didn't happen.

IF YOU CANT GET AN UPGRADE ON A SATURDAY FLIGHT AS A 75K, YOU WILL BE LUCKY TO GET IT ON ALMOST ANY FLIGHT. If you are "only" a gold you can kiss any upgrade opportunity goodbye.

Part of the reason I don't fly Southwest is the lack of 1C on their flights. Now that option on AS disappears as well, as I am currently sitting at 16% possibility of an upgrade, which drops to 12% by my return flight. I'm pretty confident an upgrade there won't happen.

I rarely post on these boards, and haven't here for two years or so. But I have never been as frustrated and upset with this airline as I am now. I cannot switch for another 18 months or so when I will hit million mile status. But my reasons for flying this airline continue to dwindle and my frustrations increase.

ALASKA, DROP THIS STUPID PROGRAM!.

nomii

I recently flew the newly configured plane in first class, and honestly? I don't even see what the big difference in product is that Alaska had to reduce it to 3 rows. If no one had told me on flyertalk I wouldn't even have noticed that this is the new enhanced seat. How much legroom does one really need after a point? Are people really keeping their feet outstretched for the whole flight?

This was a completely unnecesary excercise that Alaska did which reduced the number of first class seats thus reducing upgrades.

jediwho

I switched from AA (I am still EP with AA) to AS mostly because of the far superior frequent flyer program (earning miles, redeeming miles, breadth of partners, easier cancellation, etc.). Also, a few people I spoke to said that upgrades were more or less guaranteed even as a Gold member and it was super rare not to get upgraded as 75K.

My conclusions are that the program is still far superior to AA and even Delta. But the upgrades are no better than AA. I used to get upgraded more than half the time on AA as Platinum and nearly 100% of the time as EP.

My sense is that their upgrade program is broken. They made a big mistake of reconfig as VX merger at the same time. One the reconfig is done, you should start seeing upgrades return to normal. I do think that the next three years will not be super smooth because of VX integration, BA 737-900 reconfig and a completely different config for VX fleet.

jediwho

^^^

Baze

1 for 1 successful for January.. This coming Monday 1/23 got my upgrade at the 120 hour window for SFO-SEA 10:00 AM flight. Q fare. I'm a 75K also. Of course anything can happen between now and Mondays flight.

jsguyrus

I think what you are seeing is the affect of their new upgrade order. You used to get upgraded based on time of booking for each status level (75K first, Gold second, MVP last). Now it is by fare type, then by time of booking for each status level.

What that means is a 75K booking just before the upgrade window in the most likely to be upgraded as they probably had the highest fare type. So for those of us who tend to book farther out, our upgrades will diminish; those who book closer to departure (who also happen to be the ones spending the most money) will be rewarded with the most upgrades.

When you think about it it makes sense. The old method essentially locked those spending the most money out of upgrades. Having said that this isn't going to be a good thing for me...except now even if I don't get the FC upgrade I can still get extra leg room and a drink or two in PC.

tusphotog

First people complain AS has "awful, hard seats in F." They replace them with seats that have power and are reasonably comfortable (to me, since I fall asleep within 10 minutes of sitting down now). Then people complain there's "no legroom in F," and "there's no PE." So they remove a row, add PE and people are complaining about "too much legroom," and "no upgrades."



I flew WN last week and sat in 1C.

jediwho

[QUOTE=tusphotog;27797043]First people complain AS has "awful, hard seats in F." They replace them with seats that have power and are reasonably comfortable (to me, since I fall asleep within 10 minutes of sitting down now). Then people complain there's "no legroom in F," and "there's no PE." So they remove a row, add PE and people are complaining about "too much legroom," and "no upgrades."

The problem is three rows vs. four. I think the biggest issue is AS is juggling too many different balls at the same time right now: 3 rows from 4, PE, new upgrade policy, VX integration, increasing complains with BR, competition from DAL at SEA, improving quality of food, and still maintaining their profit margin.

eponymous_coward

[QUOTE=jediwho;27797079]Many of those are interrelated. Where was the space for PE supposed to come from? What if PE improves the profit margin and helps them compete with DL?

jsguyrus

[QUOTE=eponymous_coward;27797105]Perhaps it may have been a better idea to maintain the four rows of FC in the 800's so there is not problems from now on every time there is an aircraft swap from a 900 to a 800. Obviously, that would have required further reducing regular economy to put in the PE section.

AKLifetimeFlyer

Maybe your lack of upgrades is due to the better economy, and thus more people (and businesses) paying for first class? Just a thought.

eponymous_coward

A row of F is a lot of space to take from coach. Imagine 28 inch coach pitch in a transcon. Ouch.

Often1

The goal is to sell more F seats, not to give them away. The argument that any carrier ought to keep (or add) a row of F so that the seats can be given away (or even sold at a substantial discount) is not one that anyone who wants to keep their job wants to make.

The economy is on screech, there is more paid F, UG's are disappearing on AA, DL, and UA as well. Looking to the past is simply a bad idea.

If you start seeing lots of UG space, start worrying about the economy.

jsguyrus

I was suggesting that they would have to remove a row(s) of economy, not squeeze it down to a 28" pitch. Its a moot point anyway.

dayone

The -800s aren't going back to four-row F. There is very little point in continuing to pine for the past.

More people are buying up to F, so upgrades will be less frequent.

Lots of new elites from VX.

Anecdotally, it seems like there has been an increase in status-matched elites, especially from AA. If this really is a trend, there will be more competition for upgrades.

The days of easy free upgrades are gone. Welcome to the new normal.