One way upgrade 99 € in Europe
Jun 7, 2010, 1:15 pm
#46
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AY Gold, LH SEN, SK Silver, HH Gold, PP
Posts: 240
Taking about the BER-HEL leg that is possible in Y on AB (direct flight) and BT (via RIX). With the present Y concept and J rates AY is about to lose the game within a few months.
Jun 11, 2010, 1:01 am
#47
Ambassador: Finnair
Join Date: May 2003
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Lumo, BA Silver, HHonors Gold
Posts: 4,270
Seems that AY doesn't care. All they seem need/want is full planes (pax+freight) to/from Asia, everything else is there to support that with the exception of few high demand dom./intra-EU routes. The general short haul pax seem to be not that interesting to AY at all..how else can you justify crappy service and high prices, has that combination ever worked?
Jun 11, 2010, 4:36 am
#48
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AY Gold, LH SEN, SK Silver, HH Gold, PP
Posts: 240
What is funny is that AY takes better care of their Leisure flights with possibilities to book meals, seats etc.
AY's concept might work - as long as there is no Sars, political problems (recently Thailand) and so on in Asia, but preferring empty J seats to paying J pax in Europe is just stupid.
Jun 11, 2010, 10:10 am
#49
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
OTOH, the average business workhorse running in the hamster wheel in the hope for a piece of cheese, deserves nothing but a fast ride and in the employers mind should be discouraged from unnecessary travel anyways.
Jun 12, 2010, 8:41 am
#50
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
No response despite an attempt at a provocative post? 
To me it seems that there has been a significant change in travel: Before business people travelled in business class and tourists in the back, but now more and more tourists want to travel up front while the corporate penny pinchers force business travellers to travel in the back of the bus...
To me it seems that there has been a significant change in travel: Before business people travelled in business class and tourists in the back, but now more and more tourists want to travel up front while the corporate penny pinchers force business travellers to travel in the back of the bus...
Jun 13, 2010, 10:55 am
#51
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,107
This weekend I had a HEL-BUD-HEL trip. Both legs were overbooked, so I got both times up-upped on a very-very cheap fare (yes, AY actually op-upped it's own elite regardless of booking class!! ^) Both ways the curtain was behind row 3.
I have to say that the hard product is still good. On the A-321 the C seats are better then the Y seats (2-3 vs 3-3) and there is a mini-seat between A and C, so you don't rub shoulders with your neighbour. The meals are tasty, etc. Still, if I go on my own dime with the missus, I couldn't really justify spending 400€ (r/t) extra on a 2-2,5 hrs flight - that would be more than the whole weekend's restaurant bills!
I have to say that the hard product is still good. On the A-321 the C seats are better then the Y seats (2-3 vs 3-3) and there is a mini-seat between A and C, so you don't rub shoulders with your neighbour. The meals are tasty, etc. Still, if I go on my own dime with the missus, I couldn't really justify spending 400€ (r/t) extra on a 2-2,5 hrs flight - that would be more than the whole weekend's restaurant bills!
Jun 14, 2010, 12:08 am
#52
Ambassador: Finnair
Join Date: May 2003
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Lumo, BA Silver, HHonors Gold
Posts: 4,270
Jun 14, 2010, 4:29 am
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,107
Rarely have I seen 100% loads on AY. (On the return leg even C was almost full, only the E seats left empty (and 3C next to me - don't even there to think the words "seat blocking"
) Lots of transit pax, HU group(s) returning from PEK, JP group(s) heading to BUD - all according to AY's strategy book 
Aug 28, 2014, 2:50 pm
#54
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,602
Found this old thread thought I would bump this to compare to the current running short-haul upgrade offers. Made me a masochistic smile...
Again I got another sh upgrade offer for 69€ and the benefits highlighted included lounge, which does not exist for buz tix!
For me the offer felt like an offence, or actually a down-grade from my current exit-seat. The only difference would be the meal: "fight that tiny piece of salad and I dunno what with metal cutlery" in 1A compared to "stuff that sandwich and coffee and take a nap" in exit row
Again I got another sh upgrade offer for 69€ and the benefits highlighted included lounge, which does not exist for buz tix!
For me the offer felt like an offence, or actually a down-grade from my current exit-seat. The only difference would be the meal: "fight that tiny piece of salad and I dunno what with metal cutlery" in 1A compared to "stuff that sandwich and coffee and take a nap" in exit row