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First Class Monetization, or FCM: The Definitive Thread

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First Class Monetization, or FCM: The Definitive Thread

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Old Feb 5, 2016, 5:27 am
  #2941  
 
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How do you guys/gals who fly every week tell your significant others you are spending 100/200/300 dollars for a couple hours of comfort ? My wife would shoot me lol, not once in a while say on a longer flight but to spend 100 for a 90 min flight seems crazy to me too.
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Old Feb 5, 2016, 6:00 am
  #2942  
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Originally Posted by dgparent
How do you guys/gals who fly every week tell your significant others you are spending 100/200/300 dollars for a couple hours of comfort ? My wife would shoot me lol, not once in a while say on a longer flight but to spend 100 for a 90 min flight seems crazy to me too.
I think most of us can either bundle it to an expense for customer or can afford it. No one is going out and buying full F fares left and right, but discounted is within the range of a lot of people I know that travel that much. DL has become an expert at learning what the market can afford.
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Old Feb 5, 2016, 8:20 am
  #2943  
 
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Originally Posted by WWads
$109 for an SLC-LAX flight? You got ripped off. That's like an 1.5 hour flight, right?
I disagree. While it may not be FCM, DL offered the F cabin at a price point I was willing to pay. If it had been that cheap at booking, I would have just purchased F outright. I prefer to fly F on my domestic flights, and I have not status on DL.

Yes it is about 1.5 hours.
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Old Feb 5, 2016, 8:35 am
  #2944  
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Originally Posted by dgparent
How do you guys/gals who fly every week tell your significant others you are spending 100/200/300 dollars for a couple hours of comfort ? My wife would shoot me lol, not once in a while say on a longer flight but to spend 100 for a 90 min flight seems crazy to me too.
Has your wife flown up front? It's hard to go back :-)

Originally Posted by WWads
$109 for an SLC-LAX flight? You got ripped off. That's like an 1.5 hour flight, right?
I don't think I'd do it either...

Originally Posted by anc-ord772
I disagree. While it may not be FCM, DL offered the F cabin at a price point I was willing to pay. If it had been that cheap at booking, I would have just purchased F outright. I prefer to fly F on my domestic flights, and I have not status on DL.

Yes it is about 1.5 hours.
... but everyone has their own situation and variables, and if you're satisfied with the value then that's what matters.
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Old Feb 5, 2016, 10:24 am
  #2945  
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Originally Posted by WWads
$109 for an SLC-LAX flight? You got ripped off. That's like an 1.5 hour flight, right?
I'd pay that. $109 for a more comfortable seat, a few drinks and some snacks plus the extra miles is a price I'm willing to pay. But then again, the "value" of disposable income is completely subjective.

I was offered $199 for CVG-JFK tomorrow on a CR9. As I have 5A, I declined.
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Old Feb 5, 2016, 5:49 pm
  #2946  
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Originally Posted by dgparent
How do you guys/gals who fly every week tell your significant others you are spending 100/200/300 dollars for a couple hours of comfort ? My wife would shoot me lol, not once in a while say on a longer flight but to spend 100 for a 90 min flight seems crazy to me too.
1. I don't buy it every week. Any domestic buy-up/FC fare is out-of-pocket for me, so I pick and choose carefully.
2. We can afford it out of our own pocket.
3. Primary reason to buy up on short-haul business trips (for me) is SDC. So, "Hey Mrs. Lee, I paid an extra $100 for FC on my flight home this week so if I get done with work early, I can just grab the next flight and be home 2-3 hours earlier than expected, maybe even early enough for us to grab dinner. Also I'll have a comfy seat."

Though honestly, we trust each other enough to not do stupid crap, so it's never really been something worth discussing.
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Old Feb 5, 2016, 5:59 pm
  #2947  
 
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Next week flying EWR->MSP->ORD and then ORD->LGA. Checked the app this morning at T-72 to move up to EC and was offered a chance to upgrade at the low low price of $936.

Wow.
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Old Feb 5, 2016, 9:48 pm
  #2948  
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I continue to see BWI<-->SEA at a $160-$180 premium over lowest available coach fares on flights I would actually take ... the flexibility to switch to a more desirable time or routing is well worth it, never mind the 150% MQM
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Old Feb 6, 2016, 4:28 pm
  #2949  
 
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Originally Posted by dgparent
How do you guys/gals who fly every week tell your significant others you are spending 100/200/300 dollars for a couple hours of comfort ? My wife would shoot me lol, not once in a while say on a longer flight but to spend 100 for a 90 min flight seems crazy to me too.
My current project takes me BNA-ATL-BOS and return every week. I've set a max upgrade cost for the round trip of $150. The majority of the time when I do get an offer that meets the criteria I still end up feeling that it wasn't worth the additional cost the majority of the time. The quality of the service and product is way too inconsistent. Hard to justify to a S.O.
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Old Feb 7, 2016, 10:35 am
  #2950  
 
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upgrade from what--key

Originally Posted by CMK10
I'd pay that. $109 for a more comfortable seat, a few drinks and some snacks plus the extra miles is a price I'm willing to pay. But then again, the "value" of disposable income is completely subjective.

I was offered $199 for CVG-JFK tomorrow on a CR9. As I have 5A, I declined.
A bit over $1/minute (or under, if you count PDB time), but if I were stuck in a middle seat in the bathroom row, or way in the back with a close cnxn, I wouldn't hesitate. Upgrade from what, is the key.
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Old Feb 7, 2016, 10:54 am
  #2951  
 
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Originally Posted by AKC6
A bit over $1/minute (or under, if you count PDB time), but if I were stuck in a middle seat in the bathroom row, or way in the back with a close cnxn, I wouldn't hesitate. Upgrade from what, is the key.
If that's the alternative, I would certainly pay to upgrade. I was assuming that OP was in a C+ seat.

If OP's goal was to SDC, I would also have gone for it. Just upgrading for the seat and a few drinks though (when you already get drinks in C+) isn't worth it IMO.

To each his own.
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Old Feb 13, 2016, 12:33 pm
  #2952  
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I'm being offered the opportunity to upgrade MSP-DTW and DTW-MSP into FC from C+ in a couple weeks for $455. That's a lot for three hours total in a bigger and better seat and a couple slightly better glasses of cheap wine. I won't be using SDC on this trip and obviously have SkyPriority anyway.
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Old Feb 13, 2016, 1:30 pm
  #2953  
 
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Originally Posted by dgparent
How do you guys/gals who fly every week tell your significant others you are spending 100/200/300 dollars for a couple hours of comfort ? My wife would shoot me lol, not once in a while say on a longer flight but to spend 100 for a 90 min flight seems crazy to me too.
Many a wife will spend three times that for a couple of hours of discomfort. Have you ever made the mistake of shopping for shoEs with her?
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Old Feb 14, 2016, 11:21 am
  #2954  
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Smf-Rdu via LAX was $791 for the upgrade now $607 round trip. Ticket was $269 X fare, currently in C+. If they take it down to $550rt for the buy up, I will bite.
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Old Feb 14, 2016, 11:35 am
  #2955  
 
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Originally Posted by PV_Premier
Smf-Rdu via LAX was $791 for the upgrade now $607 round trip. Ticket was $269 X fare, currently in C+. If they take it down to $550rt for the buy up, I will bite.
Why would you spend that? At least if my wife spends $281 on a pair of shoes...she still has the pair of shoes at the end of the day. My value of FCM upgrades is $15 on a meal flight...the value I would have paid in the airport on dinner.
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