Another confusing communication from CO, verbatium and missing some sorely needed punctuation.

Note: The copy I saw was in all caps, so I did alter upper/lower case to make it more readable. The italics are mine as well.



OnePass Elite members now will enjoy an easier and and more rewarding upgrade process on CO flights. The Elite Upgrade Automation process a project created by Loyalty Marketing Reservations and Technology will automatically upgrade OnePass Platinum Gold and Silver Elite members flying on CO according to Elite status type of fare purchased and time of reservation. OnePass members will no longer need to call their Elite priority line to request complimentary upgrades. Elite Upgrade Automation will make the process of upgrading easier and more rewarding for our most loyal OnePass members said Loyalty Marketing Manager X. X.

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The interesting thing to me is that this seems to the the first tacit acknowledgment that time of reservation is an important factor in determining the pecking order.



[This message has been edited by Non-NonRev (edited 10-25-2000).]

Thanks, NonNovRev.
I noticed earlier tonight the little phrase "time of reservation" in what is now posted on CO's web site. This is my preference, so I consider it a good sign. Still, I can only consider it a "secret" upgrade system until we can confirm the algorithm that CO uses to decide on the order that members of the same eltie status will be upgraded at. I'm somewhat disappointed at the website posting. While it implies that non-automatic upgrades are available, it should say more clearly how to procede if you are travelling with a non-elite, or with an elite of lower status. While we at FT may be pretty good on figuring out what to do, the majority on CO elites will not be as good. I guess this gives us a slight advantage.

Vulcan, Non-NonRev's post seems to say that CO will hand out upgrades based on fare class and then time of reservation.

Maybe you meant something else, though.

I'm a bit skeptical about this "time of reservation" bit. We seem to think the earlier the ticket is purchased, the higher the priority (after the other factors are taken into account). However, maybe CO means that the MOST RECENT purchase will have the priority -- this because the more recent, the higher the cost of the ticket (usually), so his might actually be another way of stating "ticket type" gets priority.
I feel a bit concerned, since I usually fly to events planned well in advance, so I get the advantage of more discounted prices, PLUS my Co. gets additional discounts on top of that for having CO as preferred airline for heavy volume. So this "cost of ticket" issue may really effect me.
Well, five flights with 15 segemts in next 10 weeks, so I'll find out soon enough!

I've said it bofore, many times in fact, that one of the issues with this new system is Continental needs to come clean and give us all the rules. Under the old system, we had the ability to be educated consumers(appologies to Sy and Marcy Syms). With the new system, it appears at least in the interim we dont know all the rules, in fact since we cant see the software code, we might never know for sure. That means when you book a ticket, with a choice of flights, you can't be certain you booked the best choice for a upgrade. Continental could have features in this software they do not tell us.