If the number of "upgraded" isn't changing then people are buying F fares. The fire-sale priced buy-ups absolutely show up on the list as upgrades. Also, elites buying up to Y/B/M-Ups will show on the upgraded list as well.

2 minutes till check in and now they opened up mile upgrade and M-UP upgrade availability


EDIT: ok so it was $208 to buy up from my H to first class (M-up) and now in the checkin process I am getting a $49 confirmed upgrade to 1st class option. It is so tempting but with 4 seats I really just want to see what happens so going to decline and hope for my free upgrade. Wish me luck.

Ok I caved in. It is worth $49 for a guaranteed seat to me and after seeing 3 seats disappear in front of my eyes I just paid for mine.

CO wins yet again

I agree but this being only my 2nd CO trip of the year and only $49 for EWR-SFO.....

I have to say that with reading some of the threads regarding the fare difference for F versus this reduced buy-up I think there is still some information missing or maybe I just don't understand it correctly or haven't read the most recent threads.

What I'm not clear about is when it got to 19/20 full with me being #1 on the UG list and already ~10 people behind me I still had the option for the $49 upgrade. So at this point I have no problem with anyone paying the fare difference from their original ticket to get into F whatever that amount is. What I would like to know is since this cheap buy-up option is supposed to still account for all other elites still waiting for their EUA does that mean that I would have been the only one at this point being offered $49 option or would it be available to some/all other elites behind me on the UG list? How about non-elites checking into this flight now?

If I was the only one that had the $49 option then by not paying it I risk someone buying an F ticket, M/B/Y up or whatever other fare difference to F but if I am also risking that one of the non-elites or one of the elites on the list behind me has that same $49 option then I should be paying $49 to guarantee my F seat and CO does win.

The $49 is likely a "buy to F" and not a segment upgrade. Only the segment upgrades are supposed to account for all Elites EUAs before being offered. The "buy to F" program is eligible to anyone, regardless of status. Because you were already on a high fare (H), it wasn't that much to upgrade you into M (I forget if you're plat) or B. So were lucky in the sense of anyone could have done what you did. I, and I think a lot of us, would have jumped on $49 for what you did. Enjoy ^

Nah, my "buy to F" price was $208 (to an M as I am a Plat). I posted about it earlier in the thread. It was available to me right before the 24 hour mark to check in. As soon as I checked in I had the $49 option. $208 to go from H to M makes sense as my round trip H both ways was ~$550 while Round trip M were ~$1000. B fares were ~$1500 and so on.

Correct me if I am wrong. So for $49 more, non-elite with H fare can get the F while many Elites sits in the back? I rarely get EUA between SFO/EWR as a Plat.

I would LOVE to hear an explanation from CO (or sbm12) on the thinking behind this...

I cannot provide an authoritative answer but it appears that CO has started discounting the fare-up at the OLCI time. Some discussion about it here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...velopment.html.

As I noted in that thread, the fact that they are labeling it "on sale" and changing the rules of what "buying F" really means appears at first blush to be an unfortunate policy change that undermines pretty much all the previous "we're selling them at F prices; elites won't be affected" claims they have made.

+1^ I would've done the same for $49 (likely cheaper than an ELR seat!), if by OLCI time -- there was no EUA & the F availability was disappearing!

Yeah glad I paid the $49. Not happy about the new way things are apparently done now. Especially since I rarely got to experience them the "old" way.