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Should we be concerned with this new Upgrade Development?

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Should we be concerned with this new Upgrade Development?

 
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Old Aug 31, 2010, 9:50 pm
  #76  
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
...Unfortunately, UA often sells F seats instead of upgrading elites. I hope this doesn't continue after the merger, but I'm not hopeful after reading this thread.
How so - do they upsell the seat as a fare difference, or sell it for a fee at the gate or checkin machine while Elites are still waiting to clear the list? If the latter, that is pretty disgusting.

Delta sells upgrades for a fee, but never before all elites are accommodated.
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Old Aug 31, 2010, 9:58 pm
  #77  
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Originally Posted by Mackieman
Not in the least. What was offered was unlimited free space-available upgrades. That's a big difference. No one said they had to make the space available. I like upgrades as much as the next guy but I also live in reality about what is being offered.
The reality of what's being offered is starting to look more and more like a football field with an invisible goal line that keeps getting moved around when Team Elite is 3rd down and goal.

I've been a consistent cheerleader for CO for a long time, much to the chagrin of some, and I was operating on the good faith belief that the policy on upgrade-sales was exactly as our Insider stated in a post right here in this forum.

I'll still give CO the benefit of the doubt to sort out what's going on here, but if there is an unpublished, secret policy change that is designed to undermine the Elite upgrade program in order to score $30 here and there, I would be absolutely furious.

When you say it out loud - undermine the Elite upgrade program to score $30 here and there - it sounds so ridiculous that I cannot imagine this is an actual policy change or even market test, so I'm still leaning towards a software glitch.

I would just like to hear from Scott that there is no policy change, that there is a technical problem and it's being looked into - and I'd be satisfied to sit back and wait until the issue is resolved.
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Old Aug 31, 2010, 9:59 pm
  #78  
 
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Angry similar experience today

CO 233 LGA-IAH Plat on W fare...nothing at the 5 day window, nothing at 24 hour window - appears to be 8 seats open - nothing inside 24 hours, 3 hrs, etc...appears to be 7 F seats open all day on a flight that, overall, appears to be as empty as I have seen in quite sometime...9 names on the upgrade standby list - at kiosk to print boarding pass asked if I want to upgrade for $269 - no thanks - at gate full EUA run by GA - 14/16 filled - myself included - the remaining 2 seats filled by GA on the plane...clearly, they were waiting for some reason...not a good sign IMO...
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Old Aug 31, 2010, 10:27 pm
  #79  
 
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Speak it Brother! You couldn't have summarized it better. Being a Plat for the last 10 years, what is happening feels like an adulterous affair... sneaky, disloyal, and never a good ending. Very sad to watch happen... and really p*ssing me off too!
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Old Aug 31, 2010, 11:34 pm
  #80  
 
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Just another upgrades complaint. The buy-up is helpful to keeping the company alive and if that's what it takes, well, then so be it.
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Old Aug 31, 2010, 11:53 pm
  #81  
 
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Originally Posted by Richard Chen
Just another upgrades complaint. The buy-up is helpful to keeping the company alive and if that's what it takes, well, then so be it.
Yes, clearly it's a necessary evil.

Except for the small fact that no other major, save US, does it to the same extent...or that if you translate this non-sense back to the UA network where they're actual other options where the elites can defect to it'll spell disaster.

I don't think anyone here minds CO trying to capture revenue -- if they're selling upgrades for thousands of dollars I doubt we'd care. But when they do it for tens of dollars at the expense of the EUA, then it's a slap in the face to the elites (and the integrity of CO as they specifically said this would not be the case) and a shortsighted trick to make a cheap buck.

<shrug>

Last edited by J.Edward; Sep 1, 2010 at 6:53 am
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 12:04 am
  #82  
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Originally Posted by J.Edward
Yes, clearly it's a necessary evil.

Except for the small fact that no other major, save US, does it to the same extent...or that if you translate this non-sense back to the UA network where they're actual other options where the elites can defect to it'll spell diaster.

I don't think anyone here minds CO trying to capture revenue -- if they're selling upgrades for thousands of dollars I doubt we'd care. But when they do it for tens of dollars at the expense of the EUA, then it's a slap in the face to the elites (and the integrity of CO as they specifically said this would not be the case) and a shortsighted trick to make a cheap buck.

<shrug>
Exactly.

I haven't missed many EUAs, but should it start and this continues it will be clear, that $29 they got today for that upgrade will be a fraction of a ticket I won't purchase from them in the future, unless they are the absolute cheapest. Because it is clear my flying loyalty means nothing.
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 6:04 am
  #83  
 
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All things being equal (maybe not)

As a Gold that booked a V fare for MUC-EWR-SJO 40 days ago, I have not been offered a "buy up" when checking my reservation on CO.com so it seems to me only Plats get this?? Yay or Nay??

Flying out this Friday, I have been hoping for an EUA on the EWR-SJO leg. But, as my MUC-EWR-SJO has gone through the 3 day mark (and no EUA) now down to the last 24 hrs, all of a sudden, there are 7 pax Upgraded to First and the counter reads 13 booked, 0 Checked In...

Would these have been Plats offered a "Buy-Up"? If yes, this gives some proof to a theory (and some Plats can be relieved "lower tier" Elites don´t snag an F seat ahead of them).
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 6:26 am
  #84  
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Originally Posted by Coffeelion
As a Gold that booked a V fare for MUC-EWR-SJO 40 days ago, I have not been offered a "buy up" when checking my reservation on CO.com so it seems to me only Plats get this?? Yay or Nay??
It is not about the status so much as the route in this case. A BusinessFirst route would not have the fare-up option advertised generally because the fare difference would be too high.

As for folks upgraded on EWR-SJO, It could be mileage upgrades, Y/B/M-Ups, Platinum EUAs or Gold EUAs on higher fares.
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 6:32 am
  #85  
 
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Originally Posted by sbm12
It is not about the status so much as the route in this case. A BusinessFirst route would not have the fare-up option advertised generally because the fare difference would be too high.
Funny thing... US Air offered me a buy up at check in on a TATL in May.. I think it was $450 o/w. which I was dumb enough not to take...


Originally Posted by sbm12
As for folks upgraded on EWR-SJO, It could be mileage upgrades, Y/B/M-Ups, Platinum EUAs or Gold EUAs on higher fares
I am a cheapskate
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 6:39 am
  #86  
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Originally Posted by Coffeelion
Funny thing... US Air offered me a buy up at check in on a TATL in May.. I think it was $450 o/w. which I was dumb enough not to take...
Yup...US does offer buy-ups at a discount on their TATL flights. CO doesn't.
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 6:44 am
  #87  
 
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Originally Posted by cova
Any knowledge whether Golds and Silvers are also being offered the new discounted upgrades?

If the case, then a Silver for example could opt for the $29 upgrade and beat out higher level elites.
Non OP-elites are being offered the 'sale' upgrades too. I was offered a 'sale' upgrade of $59 iah-anc n/s upgrade...obviously I snagged it up quickly. This was at check-in at the 24 hr mark.
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 6:55 am
  #88  
 
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Originally Posted by sbm12
As for folks upgraded on EWR-SJO, It could be mileage upgrades, Y/B/M-Ups, Platinum EUAs or Gold EUAs on higher fares.
Also keep in mind that as we near the official start of the football season, EWR-SJO fills FC with the Sport-book (on-line and other) employees and customers. Fridays-Mondays on that route are getting tough for EUA's in my experience, and not all that are coming to Costa Rica to watch birds or lie on the beach
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 7:35 am
  #89  
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Originally Posted by Renard
Non OP-elites are being offered the 'sale' upgrades too. I was offered a 'sale' upgrade of $59 iah-anc n/s upgrade...obviously I snagged it up quickly. This was at check-in at the 24 hr mark.
$59 on a 3,266mi. flight. CO is getting an extra 1.8cpm from you on that ticket. Awesome, and definitely worth making a loyal customer with status sit in the back for 7 hours. Heckuva job, CO. ^
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Old Sep 1, 2010, 7:49 am
  #90  
 
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Not Really

Originally Posted by Richard Chen
Just another upgrades complaint. The buy-up is helpful to keeping the company alive and if that's what it takes, well, then so be it.

Much easier for a gold to take this position

This issue is NOT just another upgrade complaint
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