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KLM uses individual code system to determine upgrade price
KLM uses a personal code system to determine the price for a last minute upgrade (less than 24 hrs before departure) Not based on original fare -class purchase but based on previous upgrades given. When asked KLM Customer Care replied: " in order to introduce WBC to passengers with no upgrade history discounted-fares are being offered". At check in for KL604 LAX-AMS on 29 jan i had to pay $1851 for a one way upgrade from economy to business. The discounted fare was $794. Agent at check-in told
me i could not get the discounted fare because i have had a previous upgrade for the discounted fare. I have been given this anwer also on a NRT-AMS leg and on a AMS-JFK leg. The code used behind a passengers name is NDPU. (Non Discounted Paid Upgrade) Hard to understand why PLL with KL has to pay a $1000 more for an upgrade compared to a first time KL passenger. |
NDPU has been oft-discussed on this forum in the various OLCI upgrade threads.
The broad consensus is that after a long enough period of not taking upgrade offers the flag will clear and you'll be eligible again. As for why: the idea is to get someone used to the idea of flying business class, not to give elites upgrades or the expectation of the same. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29850598-post410.html Post from 2018 with prices and NDPU/regular flag. Others have mentioned seeing the NDPU flag on purser iPads. |
Originally Posted by Sjoerd65
(Post 35001859)
Hard to understand why PLL with KL has to pay a $1000 more for an upgrade compared to a first time KL passenger.
As a result, several airlines offering promotional upgrades will go to great lengths to ensure that passengers don't get used to them or at least can't take them for granted (for instance by selecting which passengers are and are not able to purchase the discounted upgrade, or varying price per passenger, sometimes even ensuring that for some categories of passengers, Y+ "promo" upgrade would actually cost more than buying value J in the first place). The explicit goal is that if you are one of the people who actually want to travel in J, they should incentivise you to purchase J rather than Y (with you expecting that you will save money by doing that and then upgrading to J on the cheap). Again, you may not like it (neither do I), but there is really nothing difficult to understand here if you understand what the airline's goals (essentially optimise yield) and parametres to achieve that (by and large encourage people to buy the most expensive fare possible whilst retaining them on the airline) are. |
Originally Posted by orbitmic
(Post 35002910)
On the contrary, whilst one might not like it, it's extremely easy to understand. The universal fear of airlines when it comes to discounted upgrades is that it could potentially cannibalise the premium class market, ie, if people "know" that they will most likely be able to fly in J for - e.g. 500 (initial Y) + 500 (upgrade) = 1000, why would they pay 2000 (initial J) in the first place.
As a result, several airlines offering promotional upgrades will go to great lengths to ensure that passengers don't get used to them (for instance by selecting which passengers are and are not able to purchase the discounted upgrade, or varying price per passenger), the goal being that if you are one of the people who actually want to travel in J, they should incentivise you to purchase J rather than Y. Again, you may not like it (neither do I), but there is really nothing difficult to understand here if you understand what the airline's goals (essentially optimise yield) and parametres to achieve that (by and large encourage people to buy the most expensive fare possible whilst retaining them on the airline) are. |
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