Open seats in E+, but tough F upgrades for 1K?
Feb 27, 2024, 11:59 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: CO
Programs: UA OG-1K, Marriott Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,362
Open seats in E+, but tough F upgrades for 1K?
Ive flown some flights that I dont commonly do and Ive had a middle E+ and a whole E+ row to myself - when Ive had ope seats next to me about 2 in 10 years and had F clear for me just as an 1K.
My first thought was that demand might be down for flying- but what I thought was really interesting was the how many E+ seats were open and Id still be WAY out of the upgrade window? I know this is the lul between holidays and spring break, but is there a quantitative drop in load?
I was kind of gettin used to having to use a coupon/miles/dollars to get upgraded, but I was surprised at a low load how FAR out I was still.
Has UA tweaked their algorithm to get people to choose F over E+? I just looked at a common flight I take- Out Mon/Mornign back Fri/evening, and the delta from E to F was $250? I havent had to buy E+ but I thought that was $50 or $100 per flight(or per trip?). I consider E+ the minimum to travel, so that delta would be even lower if you dont have status. IE if you are going to buy E+, you might as well buy F (meal, drinks, seat, boarding)?
I dont know. Open seats next to me are rare.
My first thought was that demand might be down for flying- but what I thought was really interesting was the how many E+ seats were open and Id still be WAY out of the upgrade window? I know this is the lul between holidays and spring break, but is there a quantitative drop in load?
I was kind of gettin used to having to use a coupon/miles/dollars to get upgraded, but I was surprised at a low load how FAR out I was still.
Has UA tweaked their algorithm to get people to choose F over E+? I just looked at a common flight I take- Out Mon/Mornign back Fri/evening, and the delta from E to F was $250? I havent had to buy E+ but I thought that was $50 or $100 per flight(or per trip?). I consider E+ the minimum to travel, so that delta would be even lower if you dont have status. IE if you are going to buy E+, you might as well buy F (meal, drinks, seat, boarding)?
I dont know. Open seats next to me are rare.
Feb 27, 2024, 12:57 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: United, American, Delta, Hyatt, Hilton, Hertz, Marriott
Posts: 14,895
Ive flown some flights that I dont commonly do and Ive had a middle E+ and a whole E+ row to myself - when Ive had ope seats next to me about 2 in 10 years and had F clear for me just as an 1K.
My first thought was that demand might be down for flying- but what I thought was really interesting was the how many E+ seats were open and Id still be WAY out of the upgrade window? I know this is the lul between holidays and spring break, but is there a quantitative drop in load?
I was kind of gettin used to having to use a coupon/miles/dollars to get upgraded, but I was surprised at a low load how FAR out I was still.
Has UA tweaked their algorithm to get people to choose F over E+? I just looked at a common flight I take- Out Mon/Mornign back Fri/evening, and the delta from E to F was $250? I havent had to buy E+ but I thought that was $50 or $100 per flight(or per trip?). I consider E+ the minimum to travel, so that delta would be even lower if you dont have status. IE if you are going to buy E+, you might as well buy F (meal, drinks, seat, boarding)?
I dont know. Open seats next to me are rare.
My first thought was that demand might be down for flying- but what I thought was really interesting was the how many E+ seats were open and Id still be WAY out of the upgrade window? I know this is the lul between holidays and spring break, but is there a quantitative drop in load?
I was kind of gettin used to having to use a coupon/miles/dollars to get upgraded, but I was surprised at a low load how FAR out I was still.
Has UA tweaked their algorithm to get people to choose F over E+? I just looked at a common flight I take- Out Mon/Mornign back Fri/evening, and the delta from E to F was $250? I havent had to buy E+ but I thought that was $50 or $100 per flight(or per trip?). I consider E+ the minimum to travel, so that delta would be even lower if you dont have status. IE if you are going to buy E+, you might as well buy F (meal, drinks, seat, boarding)?
I dont know. Open seats next to me are rare.
Feb 27, 2024, 3:27 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,714
FCM is selling F at pretty reasonable market clearing prices (~75-80% sold). E+ isn't much of an improvement for most travelers, even at $50-150. E+ loads have little to do with upgrades.
Feb 27, 2024, 5:03 pm
#6
Formerly known as tireman77
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,730
Just booked 2 one ways for a short business trip next week. UA wanted $1,500 for a round trip in basic fares in Y that don't earn SQMs on AC. I checked for 2 one ways and the price dropped to $850 DL/AA. Decided to check J for poops and giggles... $1,000 for same itineraries. Plus no need to pay for seats, priority boarding lounge access (on one routing) and better IRROPs protection.
Not signalling out UA here as i've seen the same thing through various iterations of UA/AA/DL.
Bottom line: I believe we are on the cusp of better off being free agents and not tied to one alliance. Too many credit cards generating points. More people paying for upgrades. If you want J, pay for J and pick the airline with the best prices routing product. I've been doing that for a while now.
Not signalling out UA here as i've seen the same thing through various iterations of UA/AA/DL.
Bottom line: I believe we are on the cusp of better off being free agents and not tied to one alliance. Too many credit cards generating points. More people paying for upgrades. If you want J, pay for J and pick the airline with the best prices routing product. I've been doing that for a while now.