I have a few flights coming up on United this weekend, and for the first time I can remember in a very long time, all my upgrades cleared at the 100 hour window. While I eventually cleared virtually all my other upgrades in the past, I usually had to sweat it out until the day of.
Compare that to Northwest, where up until now all of my upgrades cleared before the Platinum window.
Sad. It tells a lot about the current state of the affairs. I'm at a point where I book long haul international flights with no upgrade availability, because I *know* I'll clear. Sure, being a 1K doesn't hurt, but I'm now on my way to NRT and SIN, and Biz is two third empty on both legs. Haven't checked First but my understanding is that there are two pax on SEA/NRT.
I love upgrades as...
Sad. It tells a lot about the current state of the affairs. I'm at a point where I book long haul international flights with no upgrade availability, because I *know* I'll clear. Sure, being a 1K doesn't hurt, but I'm now on my way to NRT and SIN, and Biz is two third empty on both legs. Haven't checked First but my understanding is that there are two pax on SEA/NRT.
I love upgrades as much as the other guy but too much is too much and this is going to backfire. It's just not sustainable in the long term. And in the near term it probably means more small and pathetic cuts, making premium cabins even less attractive for paying customers.
And to a certain extent like the previous poster I somehow like the upgrade thrill too... although there's only one outcome that I expect and accept ;)
Hopefully there will be bump opportunities...
It's boring, isn't it? Not having anything to do at the airport except to relax and fly. Personally, I like a little bit of the upgrade gamble to get the blood flowing ... ;)