cova

Elites are not offered the buy up because they should be covered and only excess (more than number of elites) is when it is offered.

However, upgrade to First Class fare from coach fare is supposed to be what is happening, but it appears the FC fares are being drastically dropped in this time frame and not offered to Elites - OR the system has a big bug and is offering the $100 type of buy up offer to non-Elite when there are many elites not upgraded and the number on the wait list greatly exceeds the number of seats.

SS255

When I checked in for my LAX-EWR flight last week, there were 3 unsold seats in F. I was offered a buy-up for $180, which is waaaaay under-priced for what you get vs. what I initially paid for 1/2 of my coach ticket (about $238 r/t).

Ordinarily I would have paid the $180, but I did not for 2 reasons:

1) I had exit row aisle (7C) on a 752.
2) I'd rather save the money and put it towards the *A Mega DO II.

As I stated above, this was the first time I have ever been offered a buy-up. A few times I have cleared at the gate, but never offered a buy-up at check-in. Most times that I fly F is sold out by the 24-hour check-in time, so it's a moot point.

This price to me seems like the non-elite buy-up offer which is supposed to be prioritized after all elites have been upgraded. I think that something screwy might be going on, because there is no way that $119 + $180 = F fare. Hopefully CO will get this fixed.

Fishbait

Had an interesting situation yesterday - I was checking Mr Fish in for his outbound flight this morning (Plat on B fare both ways). Outbound was, of course, fully sold out in F, he ended up fourth on the waitlist (didn't get it). Noticed his return flight (tonight) had a single seat available in F, he was on a B fare. Trying to upgrade it online, it offered me a buy-up to F - this was about T-26 hours. I called and was told "It might or might not be available, even if it is available for buy-up" - she basically wanted me to pay the buy-up, which I declined. He ended up getting the seat, but my question is: Isn't a Plat on a B fare eligible for last seat F availability? Also, isn't there an easier way to process the B upgrade online, without having to call it in?

Robin

Phudnik

But you're a Platinum, right? It is reasonable to assume that $299 OW could have represented an M fare at the time of booking. At the moment, an M fare is about $550 each way, but they could have been lower when you booked the fare. (I have read reports here that M fares were much lower a month or two ago.)

ijgordon

Yes, transcon M fares were in fact in the $600 range several months ago.

No. Only Y fares are eligible for last seat F availability. B and M are capacity-controlled. Given that B is the new Y, and the current Y fares are much higher than they were before, this is a bit of a devaluation in benefits.

Yes, you can process it online if it is available.

Laughable

There are two types of upgrades available for purchase at T-24 beginning with the opening of OLCI. They are:

1. Buy-Up: the difference between your fare and the fare to the lowest bucket that gives you an F seat. For Platinums this could be an M fare, for Golds and Silver a B fare.

2. Day-of-Departure: These were originally only offered at the kiosk at the airport but have been expanded to include at OLCI. CO says that these are only offered when there are more seats in F than there are elites on the flight.

Whether it is 1 or 2, if I'm not getting my upgrade, I'm switching. This is even more important to me because as a Seattle based flyer, I don't have a real option for West Coast travel unless I pick AS (CO's former partner). Don't feed me the bull about UA and the West Coast, from Seattle, AS is often more convenient, better priced and offers friendlier staff. But, I am finding that while I'm not a fan of United the three flights I have taken with them, I sat in E+ and no middle seat mate. So this year, I will run with UA except for EWR and IAH, then will be status matching to another airline and saying goodbye.

Fishbait

Thanks, I was confused. I thought that only M was capacity-controlled - my bad. So, to do the upgrade online, where should I look? At T-26, there was a link on the flight to upgrade, but for $99. Where would I see the button for the B-up (or Y-up or M-up for that matter)?

Robin

blue3715

If you are given a buy up offer on check in, you are given a FC seat, I believe. There's no going on the upgrade standby list in that case. Is this wrong?

The reason people who have already bought a ticket (and are summarily put on the upgrade list for EUA) might be trumped by someone who buys a ticket later, is the (later) purchase is in purchase mode, and the airline can get the point of sale to FC done at that point. It surely doesn't want to have to track down a prior person to re-ask them to buy up. So sometimes the time you purchase could affect your ability to buy up. Of course if you booked earlier the flight was likely cheaper. All risk/reward.

My guess the reason the buy up to FC drops all the way to $100-200 within hours of the flight is the computer is (internally) freaking out that it hasn't sold buy ups, and sees a standby list (for EUA, etc) of 30+. It then tries it's best to sell the seats for $ vs giving them away (EUA). It's just the way the software was written, to reduce the price closer to takeoff to maximize income.

If you check in and arent offered a buy up, you might want to check with the service agent closer to takeoff to see if they are now offered.

This is my perspective of how it likely works from a programmers history.

entropy

Fundamentally, CO is disappointing elites in the domestic upgrade program.

CO really doesn't have a consolation prize like UA does (E+). In the case of not getting F on UA, an elite (even a premier) is almost always going to end up in E+, with a relatively soft seat and 4-5" more pitch than on CO. So, at least you're somewhat comfortable. CO is now pulling the rug under their elites, and from what I read here, its getting even worse. When plats are being routinely bypassed by cheapo buyups, there's a big problem.

RNE

You are so right. I hear it said that if the F product weren't so much better than Y, nobody would buy it. Maybe so, but CO can beef up Y without making F lose its luster. Personally, as an about-to-be Kettle, I like CO's screw-the-elites policy. ^ But, everybody would like E+.

RNE, saying, "Are you listening, Jeff Baby!?"

SS255

Correct. That makes perfect sense (although I have yet to see a $600 LAX-EWR when I'm booking my flights ), and I'll relish the opportunity to take advantage of $180 buy-ups once I have fully budgeted for *A Do II. In the interim, I will take my lumps of ending up #1 of the losers.

I guess my only real complaint would be if CO were selling F at firesale prices to every passenger when they check in when there are elites on the waiting list. And as long as the system is working the way it is intended to work (i.e. the way it was explained by CO Insider), I have no complaints.

What worries me, though, is that we know that there have been glitches since the *A changeover. Any suspicious IT-based activity is automatically cause for concern.

But if these el cheapo buy-ups are a test for investing in E+, then I am all for it.

cova

Elites are not offered the buy up at checkin because the buy up system is to allow for all elites to get upgraded before buy ups are offered to non-elites - that is cheap buy ups.

Problem is the system is apparently broke. Yes, buy up to an F fare is different - and again not offered to elites - but the problem is that CO has high F prices when non-elites buy there ticket, but when they check in, CO drops the price of an F ticket significantly - so that they are (in CO's view) buy up to an F fare but F is real cheap at that time. The price of an F ticket varies widely.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Squeezing hundreds or even couple of thousand bucks out of flyers for last minute buy-ups per mainline flight is an easy revenue generator. It's CO's right to do so. BUT, they need to design the process to where Elites have first crack at reasonably-priced buy-ups. Maybe starting a 3 days out for Plats and T-2hrs for the unwashed. Dropping front cabin fares at the last minute sure is an annoying complication, if that's what they're doing.

I know I missed an upgrade on an IAH-LAS last week because of the focus on paid upgrades, and I definitely felt a little less "elite". Coming back on the red-eye, it was EUA as usual, but now I'm not counting on outbound upgrades like I used to.

Guess I'll start forking over money or miles in lieu of EUA possibility outbound from now on.

RustingInSeattle

This week I was traveling with 3 family members from Fort Myers to Seattle (via IAH) on a cheap L fare ($89 or so). I was upgraded 5 days out as platinum. I had split one out from the other 2 for companion upgrade.

When I checked the PDA site prior to checking in, there were 12 people in first checked in (nearly all upgraded) and there were 5 or 6 people on the upgrade standby list. However, all 3 of my family members were added $69 first class upgrades on the RSW-IAH segment. At the airport, I got a companion upgrade for my family member. First was full and there were still 5 or 6 on the upgrade standby list.

I have no idea how $69 could be the buy-up offer for the RSW-IAH segment on a cheapo L ($89) RSW-IAH-SEA fare. But definitely many elites didn't get upgraded on that flight.

dlen111

Are elites getting these same offers regardless of the standby list, or are we getting skipped b/c CO thinks we are getting our EUA's? if they're going to offer crap FC fares to randoms who have never flown up front (or on CO for that matter), at least offer elites first dibs at them. come on CO. this cant be that hard.