Dave Noble

There are various processes on other carriers to try and make more revenue on the higher cabins - not sure how trying to sell the product is somehow a bad thing as implied by some - BA has offers to upgrade bookings post purchase on some routes for a fixed fee - have seen other airlines have a big for upgrade ( such as MH) - maybe it will just be trying to put forward paying the fare differece, but I would doubt that it would put a lot of effort into something which can already be done by the , I suspect, few people who which to do this over the phone

wolfie52

I believe that US Air used to do this. I would get an email a week before the flight, or when checking in, with an offer for an upgrade. Me thinks it is a good idea. Too many people think they are entitled to upgrades.

IADCAflyer

Oh, so in exchange for being loyal to a particular vendor (including being willing to route via an intermediate city when a non-stop is available from a competing vendor), what are to we expect for our loyal patronage?

3544quebec

Exquisite bag tags

Dave Noble

The benefits as listed by the airline - you are loyal to the airline, not the other way round

space available upgrades are there for when there is available space - if the airline can sell the seats, that is surely the aim?

If it leads to more affordable business class fares , isn't that a good thing?

Austin787

Premium Economy on wide bodies

Dave Noble

I agree that it isn't copyimg Delta or United , but is hardly innovative given that in 1992 Virgin Atlantic brought out Mid Class and Eva Air brought out Economy Deluxe - coming out 26 years after it was 1st introduced is hardly innovative

HofstraJet

Is it fair to assume that the difference between these offers and LFBUs is that these may be offered regardless of how many people are on the upgrade list?

BWISkyGuy

carlosnunez.dfw

Often1

All three legacy carriers got swept up in the freebie domestic UG during the financial crisis. AA to a lesser extent. With the economy on screech and a market for paid FC seating, but an unwillingness of employers to pay for it or to ticket and collect the fare difference from employees themselves, the current hybrid seems to have gained favor.

But, it is a PITA for both AA and the traveler. A simple and automated system which can take advantage of the same dynamic pricing for UG's as AA uses for fare bucket allocation in the first place, makes all the sense in the world.

This also does not become a reason to jump ship. Both UA and DL use the system.

Stripe

Not to mention AA's partner BA, which has had WT+ for years.

richarddd

For some people, the possibility of an upgrade is a major reason for staying with an airline and seeking elite status. The possibility of an upgrade has been decreasing and the move to FCM may effectively eliminate the chance. If so, it does not become a reason to jump ship, but it does eliminate a reason to stay. The devaluation of elite status across airlines seems a fair reason to become a free agent.

Allowing upgrades for the price difference between Y and F does not appear to be something anyone can reasonably complain about. Allowing upgrades for TOD is another matter. In addition to the problem of fewer elite upgrades, if one can reliably upgrade to F for less than the fare difference, why buy F in the first place?

MCI777

I enjoy FCM w/ Delta. As a Platinum, if I see a flight looks heavily booked in F and the offer is reasonable, I sometimes go ahead and pay the FCM amount. The good part about Delta is that if you buy up prior, you get extra EQD and EDM's as if you had purchased a First Class fare on that segment.

Why do I feel that AA will find a way to give you no extra EQD or EQM? They will still consider it a coach ticket. Let's hope that is not the case, but I don;t seem them make this user friendly.

3Cforme

The free domestic upgrades existed at least ten years - if not 20 - before the financial crisis. Pre SkyMiles (yes, there was a predecessor program) Delta did 800-mile segment upgrades. (PWM-CVG is 810 miles. The PWM station demanded one cert while CVG demanded two.) A search on FT in the defunct NW forum shows references to free upgrades from nearly the very beginning of the NW forum. AA, with sales of 500-mile upgrade stickers, was among the hold-outs.

Yes, one can expect sales of upgrades without regards to length of the upgrade list. The key word being 'available' as noted by Dave Noble. You see what they've done in five years to saver award availability, right? If you need a high reliability of free upgrades to be happy you better be CK or scheduling counseling sessions.