Casinos have published odds. Continental does not. Big difference.

Kind of hard to publish odd for something whose odd change by year, route, date, time, current events, etc., etc.

I think its real simple...

If you want upgrades go to NWA and if you want a quality product stick with CO. As a CO Silver I have pretty much written off getting upgraded this year, but I'm ok with it cause I have been getting great service in the air.

My cats breath smells like catfood

If I had to fly transcons for business and never got upgraded, I would find an airline that provided a better coach experience (read wider seats with better pitch) than CO, that's for sure. Without the upgrades, CO is at best average (I'm a big guy).

As for DCA-IAH, and EWR-DCA - 73Gs, 733s are key. I take tons of weekend flights. Early morning departures. If you can be choosy about all this, then it helps. If you need to be somewhere then it is a different story. Have only done DCA-EWR one time on mainline, a couple times on RJ, purely because of the lack of FC on what used to be a pretty easy EUA route on Sundays and Mondays.

WASJETBOY

I don't seem to understand why you keep posting, you are obviously against FFP and would prefer the loyalty we show not be rewarded... We got the point, you don't like FFPs etc. etc.

-Vincent

I had the same experience, DCA-EWR...so far batting 100% (touching wood) on U/G as a Plat, about 2-3x a month on L/S/Q fares - but this is all weekend flying, usually Sunday afternoons, and with an upcoming flight on the newly disfigured 735, my streak is probably going to come to a grinding halt.

My only U/G DCA-IAH was courtesy of a re-route via IAH that was booked into Y class, and I snagged the last seat on a 735....so I avoid that route.

Exactly. So how does one manage expectations in an environment where delivery is unpredictable?

Continued marketing hype about "free, unlimited upgrades" that are not consistently being delivered to top tier elites doesn't help customer satisfaction. Even CO senior management has indicated their internal target percentage for upgrades, and many here have reported falling short of that by a significant margin.

I don't understand why you keep replying either.

I'm not against FFP. I am against FFP whores.

So now we are 'whores' for having some reasonable expectation of receiving the benefits which are published and marketed to us? How about the hundreds of people who flew to Houston on their own dime to meet with CO management - people who are genuinely interested in helping make CO a better airline, but who describe legitimate concerns about the delivery of the published benefits.

Whats a FFP whore, and are they available for purchase on the OnePass auctions?

Only if you are a resident of Nevada, excluding Clark County. ^

I have no problem with voicing legitimate concerns in an appropriate manner. Throwing a fit at the check in counter because your $200 transcontinental fare didn't get upgrade makes you a FFP whore. As I said, in an earlier life I worked behind that counter and I saw plenty of FFP whores.

Do you know how many times I heard "I will never fly this <explitive> <explitive> airline <explitive> again?" Only to see the same people next week?

I had one particular genetleman through his frequent flier card at my face when I advised him that we wasn't going to be able to make his flight, threaten me, curse at me, and final be arrested only to see him again 2 weeks later asking me where he could get a replacement card.

So a customer had a fit, are those the ones you see here on this board? Most people on this board have some sort of status with the airlines, know the rules well, and have a reasonable amount of business sense, common sense, and courtesy. I don't think many here are throwing fits at the checkin counter. I certainly inquire about the status of my upgrades, but when I don't get it, I take it like a man, and board with coach.

Just like there are some bad apples in every employee group, there will be some bad apples in every set of customers. If you're going to post on this board with the attitude that people here are tyrants and disrespectful to airline staff, I think you got the wrong crowd. Many here go out of their way to write glowing letters about staff who do their jobs well. Similarly, as bocastephen pointed out, many here go out of their way -- time and expense wise -- to provide feedback to the airline.