For the same time period, you can buy a paid first-class ticket from Toronto to Hawaii on Delta (going through Detroit, Los Angeles and other airports) for under $1200.

At the time of purchase, paid first was ~1500. Not interested at the current offer, but there's plenty of time between now and then to see how (or if) it changes.

FYI it was :)

Same offer for the same flight next week, $89. No reason to take it for a 1 hour flight where I'll probably get C+ anyway. Seems to be pretty consistent from SLC-PHX and PHX-SLC.

I recently had XXX-DTW-LAX-OGG.

At T-5, DTW-LAX had 3 open seats in F. On Q fares. Magically, me and companion cleared DTW-LAX on a Monday morning at T-5 leaving 1 open seat (nothing cleared at the gate)...

I think with some exceptions -- Christmas, New Year's, Presidents' Day weekend -- that upgrades to/from Hawaii are much like upgrades to/from the Caribbean in that they are very easy. Yes, of course there are periods when cabins are sold-out, but because Hawaii is so far away I wager that most people go for a week and probably travel on a Friday or Saturday. So, a mid-week flight to/from Hawaii is probably easier to upgrade than a weekend flight or the red-eye Sunday night from Honolulu.

I've had two separate flights departing Honolulu within the last year where first-class went out with at least 1 empty seat.

I'm going back to Hawaii in exactly 5 months from now, in August. Yes, I realize the seat map isn't the best indicator but for the sake of discussion, right now, there are 14 empty seats in first-class on the 757. Only 6 seats, including mine, are taken. I'm sure the cabin will become less empty between now and August, but I suspect because going to Hawaii is such a big deal for most people that a majority of passengers book their trip (likely a vacation or honeymoon) at least five months in advance. So I'd guess that by 1-2 months out, what you see if probably close to what the final number will be, absent upgrades or first-class monetization.

I have a RST to FLL itnerary coming up 2 weeks. Upgrade on the ATL to FLL leg to FC has dropped in two days from $224 to $179 to $111 today. Any chance it drops further if no one bites at $111? Just seeing how this works.

Unfortunately I had to change dates. When I made the change it would have been $200 to upgrade to a P fare on the outbound, but $299 if the agent processed it as a "seat upgrade." I was cheap and declined both. Now only full F is available for $1k. :(

I never thought I would do it, but I just paid for my first upgrade. SLC to IAD for $138. I’ve got an early morning meeting and with the flight not getting in until 11pm, the meal will let me go straight to bed when I get there. Plus, it seemed like a good deal.

Can get a much cheaper meal at the airport before takeoff

Airport meal doesn't come with bonus MQMs!

Yeah, it's probably a dumb thing to do, although with a 4 hour flight eating beforehand isn't ideal. I guess I was bound to fall for it once, but I doubt I'll make a habit of paying for upgrades - I'm usually cheap and have better things to waste my money on.

I hope the meal is decent, but hey, if you drink alcohol, you can get your money's worth (or close to it, at Washington, D.C. prices) during a 4-hour flight.

Gotta love FT: WFBF, but get scoffed at when you do :rolleyes:

Everyone's different of course, but I'd definitely take $138 for SLC-IAD just for the extra personal space and MQMs even if it didn't come with food and booze.

I’d take that offer too. I will not take the offer on one of my segments this week, DFW-SLC for $190.17. This is on a CRJ 900. I will stick with C+. This Leg has often been offered at other times for $89-111 buy up when booked in the same fare class.

The price I'd pay for a first class upgrade would normally be about $50, so I've never bought one before. Sitting at home last night, just back from another work trip, looking at a 24 hour RT to Dulles this weekend, the price I was willing to pay was higher than it normally would be. WFBF I guess. Although I'm expecting one or both of my return segments to get upgraded on Saturday night, even with my lowly status, so I'll take what I can get for free too...