UA also has an E+ cabin, which mitigates the Y experience for its regular fliers. CO has EUA, but percentage upgrade rate for all elites is far lower than UA elites being able to access E+.

CO already offers EUA to its elites, which acknowledges the better treatment/comfort in F, as well as the fact that CO wishes to improve the flying experience for its elites. A single drink cert per flight to elites who do not EUA would be a simple and relatively inexpensive method of maintaining that policy.

Granted, flying in Y is never pleasant for anyone, regardless of elite status. However, the airline has already made a judgment call that it wishes to reward elites by extending them benefits beyond the Y cabin. If you want to be angry with anyone over that, be angry with CO for instituting the policy in the first place. I was not suggesting in any backhanded manner that elites are somehow better human beings than non-elites. That they are should be obvious. ;) :p

Would this hypothetical policy extend to BF flights where status gets you (next to) nothing? Or, would it be status quo and buy on board?

I think it should apply to all flights. It at least would make CO more competitive with NorthWelta, which offers a free drink on long-hauls to all pax. Also, CO does extend some benefits to elites w/r/t BF flights. Off the top of my head, I can think of increased BF award availability for Plats.

Does elite status have any impact on position on the BF waitlist for a cash + copay upgrade? I don't recall, as I haven't tried such an upgrade in years.

Great way to close the argument. :p Post those last two sentences in UA-land without the emoticons and you would be hailed as a hero.

Honestly, the first phrase that crossed my mind when I read the first post on the topic was "entitlement politics". At $5 of unrealized cash per non-upgraded Elite (granted 100% of said Elites will not buy a drink, but they would give the chit to someone or use it on another flight) CO would be screwing themselves out of tons of money and only getting the return on that non-investment of an Elite that got a free cocktail. If anything is backhanded, that's a pretty backhanded thing to do on CO's part. They would essentially be saying that they know you bought a main cabin ticket and were thinking that you would win the upgrade lottery, but since you didn't, booze will fix the situation of enduring our signature Y-. Even if booze is needed by the frequently upgraded traveler to survive Y, it just seems like it's not a loyalty enhancer, nor is it a revenue booster.

I did this a lot last summer during my commutes to BUD and, IIRC, status did make more seats available.

Given the state of the front cabin bookings nowadays, status might not matter. Before I was told that I HAD to fly NW to AMS, I was thinking about miles and cash to upgrade a CO ticket. Both ways would have cleared at booking.

I've mentioned in the past that I've deplaned with more WN drink coupons than I had when I enplaned ...

I think you are right and one wonders if the "integrity" may be diminished for the sake of increasing revenue.

That's only one side of the coin. CO may lose $5 in value fron non-upgraded elites who would otherwise choose to purchase a drink onboard. However, CO's real cost of providing the drink is well under $5. Further, if CO does enhance Frequent Flyer loyalty, that also adds to the bottom line.

CO already creates reasonable expectations of "winning the upgrade lottery." IIRC, CO Insider has posted publicly what CO considers to be reasonable upgrade rates for silver/gold/plat (25%/50%/75%, or thereabouts, IIRC). CO's Y cabin is arguably uncompetitive from a hard-product perspective in comparison with its competitors. This would be a revenue-minimal method of increasing frequent flyer loyalty. Further, CO could restrict the revenue impact by making the certs valid for that flight only (thus reducing hoarding and trading).

Personally, this would be a loyalty generator for me. I will often enjoy a "free" drink in the PC, but generally abstain if in Y. Most of the liquors CO stocks onboard (with the exception of Bombay Sapphire) are not worth $5 for a mini, IMO. I know several other CO flyers with similar thoughts on the subject. I'm not saying your take is wrong. Perhaps across the board, the loyalty-boosting effect would not be worth the trouble. I know it would have an impact on me. The entire reason I started booking away from CO after 75K+ was because I realized that other carriers and alliances could offer me flying options and amenities that CO either can't or won't. In the past few years, that has added up to a sizeable percentage of my total travel expenditure, which is pure lost revenue for CO. Not all (or even most) of that is attributable to Y cabin discomfort on CO, but it does play a role.

What I meant was that being elite on a BF operated flight doesn't get you much in the way of benefits when compared to "the upgrade lottery" on domestic flights. If an elite buys Y they get Y. For benefits you'll get 'premium' seat selection, early boarding, and 'priority' luggage tags, I think. Since the argument was framed in increasing elite comfortableness in Y, giving a free drink on domestic flights would be in keeping with that policy, but giving a free drink on a BF flight would not.

Yes, this is silly and I fell like I'm being a pedantic nerd. :rolleyes:

But more is more.

Thank you for putting integrity in quote marks. "Integrity of the premium cabin" is probably the dumbest and most mistakenly overused phrase on FT.

I've seen more feet on bulkheads in F than in Y. F also generally tends to have an abundance of passengers who are :rolleyes: with the FAs, when compared with Y.

I'd be on your boat totally if said free drink was valid for that flight only. It would, as you say, reduce hoarding and trading, and it would bring the loss that the program would create down much more, and perhaps even make it revenue-neutral.

What's going on here - is The Box turning in to a real thread or something!?

:p

It is not a FT phrase, it is a direct quote from Continental.