Frequent flyer loyalty is a promise that if you stick with one airline, they’re going to treat you better on your future flights. You ‘build up’ status, and benefit most elite flyers cherish is the upgrade. In the U.S., if the airline doesn’t sell first class seats they say they’ll hand those out to passengers in the order of their status… starting several days prior to departure.
For years this was a consistent benefit that flyers could count on, and it kept them loyal – buying less convenient flight schedules, connections instead of non-stops, and paying more for tickets to stick with their preferred airline. But the upgrade benefit has become a mirage.
Here’s one American Airlines passenger complaining that their status only gets them upgrades “5-10%” of the time, and they’re frustrated because there are of open first class seats for a flight they’re about to board – more empty first class seats than there are elite flyers hoping to upgrade, even – and the airline hasn’t awarded any yet.
Don’t expect the 5 day (or even 1 hour) upgrade anymore
byu/msyavl inamericanairlines
In this specific case what’s going on is that American’s automated system just hasn’t run yet. To support ‘single agent boarding’ (having just one agent instead of two working a flight, including calling boarding and scanning boarding passes; watching for oversized carry-on bags and gate checking bags; and watching for intoxicated passengers) on domestic narrowbody flights that are no more than 80% full, American has automated a lot of tasks that used to be performed by gate agents, like clearing upgrades and standby passengers.
The gate upgrades run just before the start of boarding so when there are four seats available for three passengers one hour before departure, expect all three to be upgraded in… 15 minutes.
However their broader point is correct – here’s a flight that was clearly not going to sell out in first class, and that was true for awhile in all likelihood. But they didn’t process upgrades. Why not? Because they’re trying to merchandise the seats. It’s not just about last minute purchase of first class seats – it’s about selling upgrades to everyone that bought coach. Passengers in back might buy up even at check-in!
I have to go to Lansing, Michigan to speak to a group of legislators there. I’m connecting through Chicago on American, rather than flying non-stop of Delta to Detroit and driving. American will sell me an upgrade on the Chicago – Lansing segment for $43. I can also opt to pay with miles, getting slightly less than 1 cent per mile.
Earlier in the week I believe the other direction I was flying was just $40. It’s gone up to $52. I haven’t bit, though on longer mainline flights I’m often a buyer at this price per hour.
Mostly I’ve been curious to watch how the price bounces around. I don’t recall getting a complimentary upgrade between DC and Dallas in years but I saw an upgrade offer for an upcoming flight at $143. I have just been tracking price, and it’s up over $200 now.
The point, though, is that when an airline is willing to sell an upgrade for $40 to a once a year flyer on a cheap ticket, rather than offering as a complimentary upgrade to a customer spending $30,000 a year on tickets (or putting $200,000 a year on a co-brand credit card – which is higher margin to the airline than the tickets) the value of the status isn’t nearly so great anymore.
Deadheading pilots now also get upgrades ahead of passengers. American copied that from United, whose pilots got the benefit during the pandemic.
Delta says only about 12% of their first class seats go to upgrades, while 15 years ago, 81% of first class seats went to upgrades, awards and employees.
American, Delta and United have all become adept at selling coach passengers upgrades to first class for tens of dollars, sometimes as little as $40. Delta will even sell long haul business class for as little as $299 more than coach.
For the most part, upgrades have been tough to get because (1) premium demand has grown while the supply of premium seats hasn’t kept up, and (2) airlines have shifted their merchandising to take less money for those seats from any willing buyer rather than honor frequent flyer upgrades.
Major U.S. airlines promise unlimited complimentary upgrades into available first class seats for their elite frequent flyers, but it turns out to be a pretty hollow promise. The value of status, then, is better help when flights are cancelled and delayed, and extra legroom coach seats.
Having status is better than not having status, and higher status is better lan lower status, but mid-tier status is probably the sweet spot now since that’s enough for those extra legroom coach seats, free checked bags, and boarding priority to avoid gate checking your carry-on.
At the end of the day, though, airlines have made clear that they’d rather take $43 today than your business over time – and that includes your credit card business that helps to earn that status. I am not sure that’s a great idea. It probably means there aren’t enough first class seats, which is another business judgment the airlines have made. But if that’s where they’ve tilted, it’s time to get the message.
@Gene — WFBF?
An upgrade on ord to lan isn’t worth $4
Simple – if you want first buy it or jump on an upgrade offer. No point in bemoaning what airlines are doing or lust for the “good old days”. Those aren’t coming back. Either adjust or enjoy that coach seat (and that applies to all airlines so switching won’t help)
Makes sense to me. All airlines want to increase their revenue. It been said before if you want to ride in F/C buy a. F/C ticket. “There no free lunch”.
What the frequent flyers are getting is what they paid for – the same as dealing with any other business that sells products or services. Try buying a 2500 square foot house and expecting to be given a 3500 square foot one. Anybody dealing with an airline, hotel or other product or service on the planet can probably negotiate a volume discount but I don’t know any other business that automatically upgrades buyers to their best product for free.
It’s a joke to call them loyalty programs. They are nothing more than rebate programs with diluted & limited redemptions that they slap your name on under the guise of personalization.
Sadly closer to true than not.
It’s called lack of competition. These airlines are now effectively oligopolies and they can afford to give a middle finger to their customers, even the frequent ones.
@ 1990 — You got it. Thats why my current fave is UA. Those P-class fares are awesome. They suck for SDC changes. For those, DL rocks. And then there is AA, guaranteed to get you there late. OR, if you are heading out on short, nonstop, Spirit BFS rules the day!
@ Gary — Stop being so cheap.
“The end of status?” Good! We live in a free-agent world, and need to start acting like it.
I haven’t been paying attention, but do airlines themselves discuss these as “loyalty” programs anymore? To Gary’s point, we all know that the idea of airlines (or hotels) rewarding loyalty anymore is dead. Heck, they’re working on ways to use your loyalty AGAINST you if they think you’ll pay more (looking at you, Delta).
The key, and only response, is for customers to also show them no loyalty. Gone are the days I will pay more for a longer flight with an extra connection just to fly Delta. I’ll take the best deal — factoring in comfort, service, and quality of product to some degree.
Sorry to the entitled elites – but the expectation in the current market should be this: you want to sit in an F seat, pay for it. It’s that simple. F should probably even be in quotes – F is not the same as it used to be – just a bigger seat, free booze, and on longer flights a [generally edible] meal.
Look, I have been a low-level elite for a long time, and while 10 or 15 years ago, I used to get upgraded on maybe 40% of flights (a lot of those were very short spoke-hub flights so I could get to the places I was really going). These days, if I get a single upgrade a year, I’m lucky. I don’t complain, because I’m smart enough to realize that I’m getting thr product I paid for. If today’s elites can’t figure that out, I’m sorry, that’s there misguided expectations.
Once upon a time, you could get hand-carved roast onboard – we don’t expect that anymore either. Nor should anyone expect an upgrade. You want that seat – pay for it.
Why should any business give a product away for free when someone is willing to pay for it?
I’ve owned many BMW motorcycles but would be shocked if they “upgraded” me to a Rolls Royce for my next purchase. Nor do I expect the liquor store to upgrade my bourbon to shop shelf just because I’ve bought a lot of Old Crow.
Loyalty only goes so far.
@Gene — A bit meta, but, since you’ve been reading VFTW for literal decades… how long has the guy behind @PENILE (@Erect, @Un, etc.) been around (he suggested 10 years in a different post, but, you know, folks exaggerate on the internet..)?
Here is how I look at it. I follow the loads and on flights it looks like no chance of getting an upgrade I buy even as an EXP. It has worked out pretty well, getting upgraded when I should and the buy ups. If you book close in somwtimes the 1st class fare is almost the same as coach.
If you are flying enough to where you are an EXP then you make enough money to buy up. If you don’t you need a better job.
@Gary: Suppose their sums are correct (loyalty is worth < $43), then that says something about how loyal (tied in) elites are now.
@woofer
There are plenty of private equity investors who swoop in an buy the last 3 homes in a newly built neighborhood or buy out an entire condo building before the builder markets them and get 3500sf for the price of 2500sf
Volume is loyalty and earns discounts in any industry. Maybe instead of advertising comp upgrades, airlines might just give elites a 20% discount off buying the F cabin. I’m sure the gate agents would appreciate a flight that is already checked in full in F at T-2.
It’s over. I bite the bullet and pay for the upgraded seat -especially on AA – b/c I know my chance of obtaining an ugrade to the front is slim and none and slim left town – a LONG time ago. Yes, over 2m on AA (never mind UA).
Given that this example is AA, if one can select 2 SWUs at 175k LP, it would be nice if at, say, PP/125k LP you could get 2-4 domestic upgrade certificates (this is similar to what Delta offers at this level). While the days of getting a complimentary upgrade are now scarce, this would be a nice value add for loyalty program members while still allowing AA to sell some seats for tens of dollars.
Why are you still trying to fly around the world to obtain American Airlines’ “status”? The year is 2025. Do you have a family at home? Does your partner or spouse miss you? Do you really enjoy airline food, or are you deceiving yourself? How about ruining your sleep rhythm (and health, generally) by crisscrossing numerous time zones? It’s all a bit silly, when you think about it. Maybe next time, just organize a Zoom call and go home to your family at the end of the workday? No?
@Retired Gambler nailed it. As someone who lives in a UA hub, I fly AA maybe once or twice a year. Last month, AA sold me upgrades to first on both outbound and inbound segments for $43 each. My new strategy is to jump on these low offers. I feel for the “elites” staring at the upgrade standby list at the gate, hoping against hope that their upgrades will clear.
It’s difficult to justify a business trip to meet with a customer when said customer works from home these days and doesn’t want to go into the office. Not even for an expense-account lunch.
I pay for F, but I enjoy looking at the upgrade list. I typically see at most 15% of F not pre-reserved (and often zero) and a list 2 or 3 times the size of F trying to get upgraded.
To all of those who stand on the premise of “if you want to ride in F/C, buy a. F/C ticket.”, we wouldn’t be having this discussion if the airlines hadn’t so stridently trumpeted complimentary First Class upgrades as an enticement to garner more loyalty from their frequent flyers.
For the carrot and stick approach to work, there not only has to be a carrot but also a realistic opportunity to attain it. The airlines that choose to sell off these unsold F seats to whatever bidders at the last minute significantly diminish that promised benefit.
So, it would greatly help – and be a lot more honest – if the airlines would simply acknowledge from the start that “if you want to ride in F/C buy a. F/C ticket.” and do away with the advertised benefit of complimentary upgrades.
Until they do, we will continue to have these unfortunate discussions.
@Your Daddy and everyone else going on about WFBF and “if you can’t afford it, you need a better job” completely oversimplifies the point.
Many people are expensing business travel or have corporate travel policies that forbid purchasing F and, in come cases even premium economy. At my last job they literally refused to reimburse a flight I booked up front where F was less than economy (and I had the screenshots to prove it). You cantle fix that level of “just doing my job.”
When I’m paying, I fly upfront. When I’m flying on someone else’s dime I don’t have that luxury…nor should I be expected to pay for the luxury of having enough space to be productive on my client’s behalf. I’ll sit in the back, read a book and have a couple of drinks to take the edge off of having to sit with the proletariat to make a point.
@ 1990 — I doubt Ericat has been around for long
“hallow” – hollow.
I am done playing the game with American. Spend of a few hundred thousand on credit cards as a family plus $20-30K on flights for my wife and I. Now they are pushing to sell me as an EXP, the ability to upgrade to 1st class during the check in process for $47 rather than clearing me 100 hours out or even 24 hours out with 3 or 4 seats available in 1st class at check in. I get they’d rather have the $47 of revenue but then I spent $2000 on international airfare on another airline after this, because they don’t value my loyalty and I’ll respond accordingly. I should note they never got anyone to pay the $47 and I got upgraded anyway as I walking onto the plane but they lost $2000 of revenue. Brilliant AA management. I’ll finish out EXP this year but will move credit card spend next year and will not worry about EXP anymore. No reason to be loyal to AA anymore. I’ll pay less for the upgrade offers than the extra value I’ll get from moving the credit card spend and flight spending when I no longer care whether I fly American.
Not being a 30k guy like Greg, I’m not that amped up. Either their loyalty don’t matter for the bottom line, and/or they are more responsive to the free coach redemptions?
I am curious who does loyalty the best, or are they all bad for the 30k guys?
Some airlines already sell annual “subscriptions” to their premium economy seats. How about something similar for, say, domestic F? I’d pay $2,500/year or 250,000 miles on my most-flown airline to book a coach fare and have guaranteed access to the F cabin at time of booking.
I used to be a normal 1K on united and went from 90 percent down to about 50 percent success, and OpUps were not uncommon, either, before the merger. Definitely got more challenging. SWUs and PPs helped a bit but same thing. Finally hit GS4L so back to 90 percent but live in Florida and do notice a lot more people simply buying F. As a shareholder in UAL, I don’t blame them. But I know they’ve pushed some flyers over the edge including one who spends $200k+ annually just on personal travel and frankly he gave up on any loyalty whatsoever.
99% of status flyers are OPM.
Sounds like their beef should be with their employer not the airline.
99% of people with status are OPM flyers.
Sounds like their beef should be with their employer not the airline
If you are flying 100K miles or more a year and you are paying for your own ticket you can’t afford to pay for first class every single flight. Or pay for a cheap upgrade every single flight. In the Era of all the airlines except Alaska making you pay elite qualifying dollars in addition to miles or segments you expect a little bit more. When you are on an airlines planes every single week it does feel like gut punch when someone gets that last first class seat when your number one on the upgrade list for 30 bucks. Yes I’ve seen upgrades as low as 30 bucks or shorter flights. Why chase status anymore. Just fly the cheaper airline and fly less and jump on a cheap upgrade.
I got upgraded last week internationally on an Award ticket and I hadn’t flown in a year. I took it, but I don’t see why I cleared…and I cleared early…more than 24 hours to departure. Unless the cabin was full of deadbeats like me, my (mediocre) status shouldn’t have been the deciding factor.
And this isn’t a new thing either. The last time I scored an upgrade on the same airline it was 7 years ago…also on an award ticket coming back from Hawaii…though that time it happened at the gate. So that means my last two upgrades were based solely on my status and not on my how much money I’d been pouring into the airline since I hadn’t been pouring any in. I like upgrades but I didn’t deserve either.
On the other hand I flew EVA to the Phillipines via Taipei 7 years ago and bought a Premium Economy ticket and got upgraded to Royal Laurel on the TPE-MNL leg. At least in that case I felt like I’d “paid into the system” so to speak so getting the upgrade didn’t have me looking side eye at EVA. Though the Royal Laurel cabin didn’t go out full so EVA didn’t do upgrades to fill the whole cabin.
May not renew my Delta Amex next year. First it costs over $700 , and Delta doesn’t take care of their Diamond members anymore. Earned unlimited club visits at the airport, and the food in Delta lounge was not edible. I went to McDonald for an upgrade.
It’s our fault of course it’s our fault. We allow them to have fine print that said we will give them loyalty every single year so they can make their budget, but they have the right to change the rules at any given time and that’s disgusting but we allowed it.
Looking back 25 years to when I started following this stuff closely, the increase in people trying for status has exploded. Plus CCs giving status, gigantic point SUBs, etc.
As an example, I remember when there were about 20 of us at most on Flyertalk talking about the WN Companion Pass. Now there are hundreds of thousands or millions on Facebook alone, jabbering away about how to get the 2-year CP AND 150k points for a couple hundred bucks.
No way the old ways can even remotely continue to exist.
I feel just horrible about letting my Platinum status lapse and moving to other airlines. Just horrible.
When will you guys stop with your whining about deadheading pilots in FC? We are repositioning for the airline so we can fly you where you need to go. Do you want a tired pilot in charge of your flight? Just to remind you, this is our metal. We rarely get upgraded while deadheading, but you people act like it’s all you see in FC. If you want FC, then just pay for it. When you get upgraded, that’s a perk. Don’t be emotional bc you’re not getting upgraded for every economy ticket you purchase.
Stop your whining.
Airlines owe you nothing. Airlines will take everything they can from you.
Want First? Buy First!
Travel isn’t what it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Airlines these days are focused on revenue and if that means selling that first class seat for $49, good for them. As others have said, if you want first, buy first and if not then,be appreciative of you happen to get an upgrade.
Travelers these days are so entitled and whiney it’s not even funny. What they don’t understand is, they aren’t anyone special, they are simply another number. All the airlines understand and know they have corporate contracts and that for the vast majority of travelers, their corporate travel policy is going to fill the seats.
If your spending $30k per year and you can’t spring for $40-50 extra for a guaranteed seat instead of playing the lottery, something is off.
Airlines in MOST of the world don’t do this. This is a weird American quirk, giving away your premium product for nothing. You get what you pay for. Loyal customer certainly have benefits, but free upgrades certainly aren’t one of them.
@FlyNPlay – Truth
@Julie Kaplan — Nah, Diamond is pretty good, actually, as are most SkyClubs. Maybe you are based at an airport with bad options. Boo. Hoo. All three NYC airports have incredible newly renovated SkyClubs. Check them out for yourself at JFK T4 concourse A, LGA Terminal C, and EWR Terminal A.
As far as benefits, compared to American’s Executive Platinum with SWUs and United’s 1K with PlusPoints, Delta’s Global Upgrade Certificates often actually confirm DeltaOne at the time of booking (rarely Waitlist, like the other guys). That alone makes attaining DL’s highest listed status worthwhile. I used mine for international long-haul this year, saving about $10,000.
Oh, wait, you’re the same Julie that only comes on here to complain about Delta and to attack @Tim Dunn, aren’t you? Kinda lame of you to do that while offering nothing else of any real value. Sad face.
American Airlines could not care less if one flew once a year or every week, the good old day of customer appreciation are gone. I miss Pan Am….
You’d get better “loyalty” rewards on a GreyHound Bus.
Zoom has provided me with a practically air-travel free life for almost 10 years.
Why fly? US Airlines suck.
Wow.
Lots of entitled pilots here.
Glorified Bus drivers.
Airlines are businesses and as such are supposed to try and make profits. Selling seats is a principal way of securing income to offset expenses in order to produce some profits. Upgrades do not produce any income. I consider an upgrade as a gift and not a right. I book early enough to secure an extra leg room seat, and on a 2 hour or less flight I don’t believe in spending ANY $$ to sit up front, where there is frequently no special services and only a larger seat, with barely any extra leg room than the up front seats in coach provide. I am and have been AA ExPlat for over 6 years.
Receiving an upgrade is also dependent on the route – flying from a hub to a hub is less likely to receive an upgrade than flying from a feeder airport to a hub; also day of week, time of day, and routing affects the # of upgrades, and don’t expect an upgrade during busy travel times (i.e., Thanksgiving, etc.). Nonetheless I have averaged 80% or more in receiving upgrades over my 6 years with AA. Again, upgrades are a gift, not a right.
@Cid — I disagree. US airlines are just fine for the most part, as are Europeans ones, Asian ones… sure, there are some standouts, and some you may want to avoid, but, no, there’s not really that big a difference. Also, what are you doing going after pilots? Do you complain about doctors and dentists before your appointments, too? Sheesh…
If we are going to be wishful, let’s go all the way back to the pre deregulation days when airplanes weren’t flying cattle cars. I’ll pass on smoking flights tho.
The days of almost unlimited complimentary upgrades like status being awarded based upon miles flown are over and not coming back. Most of the time at some point the cash upgrade will be reasonable but it’s up to the flyer to have to check back regularly on pricing. I’ve seen upgrades on AA MIA/DCA go from over $1k down to $170 in matter of 24 hours. Needless to say, that $170 price won’t stick around very long.
If upgrades mean that much to you the onus is on you to monitor the price at least once every couple of days, if not daily. That’s how in general airfares work. Otherwise, play the upgrade lottery realizing that overall the odds are against you and unlike in prior times knowing your chances are much more unpredictable.
Ex business traveler and frequent flier. I am so, SOOOO glad I never have to step foot on a plane ever again!!!
Wow they censor like CRAZY here. Geez. You can only speak Disney over here it seems. No reason to waste time reading these articles anymore or trying to post here.
Discusting ….AA went south when they downgraded PLT for life status to third when they added the new category. Should have kept the PLT folks second UPG. Who do you think got AA in such good shape under Crandel answer the multi million miles. Certaintly not that idiot from America West / US Air
Try to use my American Airlines for a ticket on Alaska route America does not fly direct. Well guess what? Getting my one-way 30,000 mile coach seat will not allow me to pay, I repeat pay to get a better seat than the last half of the plane. American points the finger at Alaska. Alaska points the finger at American. I don’t mind paying cash to get a better seat. But it is disallowed, frozen, that is Alaska is powerless to accept my money to move up to the front of the plane. American is no help. This is an unfair Use of my miles. I am a Gold member of Alaska, I charge whole lot every month on their card also. But they did not answer my inquiry in the form of a complaint.
WFBF. Stop spending your energy on the upgrade “game.”
I have AA PP and will be EXP next time I fly. I do it through corporate CC spend. I get upgraded almost 100% of the time because not enough people buy the cheap upgrades. It helps that my home airport has almost no frequent fliers. I’m top of the upgrade list whether I’m gold or exp.
It’s been my experience that one must BUY Business or First and buy early. I was just on a PHX-AUS AA flight where even a Concierge Key wasn’t upgraded. However a AA representative came over and thanked him for his business while in the Admiral’s Club. BTW, I was #23 on the upgrade list for a flight with 20 F seats. We both had our Economy seats and I’m not talking Economy Extra I’m talking row 21 back!
Frequent fliers get other benefits – as you know. But the bigger issue is the erosion of loyalty benefits, and airlines continuing to offer more for less. The government loves taking money from our pockets if that means corporate profits increase.
Yay capitalism!
My frustration is that when buying through Concur for corporate travel, if I book coach, I pay the same rate as everyone else and I am offered a paid upgrade path. My company will pay for Comfort+ but it must be a special rate because the way it’s coded doesn’t allow me a paid path to upgrade (the website tries to sell me an upgrade to Comfort+)
I would be willing to pay or burn points for an upgrade, but not if it means getting stuck in coach if there isn’t one available.
@tvjames sounds like your problem is with your employer
I dont get all the whining from OPM flyers that the airline is selling “their” upgrades, instead of giving it to them for free
Want to fly up front, get a job that pays for that or negotiate better terms with your corporate overlord.
I get it – up to a decade or so ago, having status meant a decent chance at an upgrade. It set people’s expectations. And the websites still tout possible upgrades as a benefit of status. But that hasn’t been the case for many years. Well before the pandemic, UA would give GPUs, later PlusPoints, to be applied for upgrades which never occurred. They largely just expired each year. AA was not much different. Having status gives almost no benefit. Now, I just buy business class internationally, or buy F or the cheap F upgrade for domestic, and I go for the best deal, not for loyalty. All the points I need for awards come from credit cards. And, frankly, I don’t think the airlines care. They don’t need loyal customers anymore. They fill all the seats, and sell the credit cards, without it.
The best upgrade is having the seat next to you empty. Who cares about couple inches extra on your shoulder room. The leg room on FC is often not even as good as main cabin extra. Buy your own drink and food bring them aboard. If you are lucky, with empty next to you. That’s as good as it gets. I fly out of SNA where half of the plane are usually elite flyers. There are only 10% of the time I’d upgrade. If you are flying out of Omaha or Tulsa; you are almost guaranteed an upgrade. Where you are based really dictates your chances. The basic idea is, we are just master slaves, because the rich either have their own plane, or they charter their flight. Every morning you can see that at the 7am line up for takeoff. One for commercial, and another for corporate flights at SNA.
In April I upgraded to Business from Economy on AF from CDG to MIA. My original fare in economy was a $459 promo fare. The cost to upgrade the day before was just over $700. That’s a no brainer, and despite having Flying Blue status, I certainly didn’t wait with my fingers crossed. There are less and less perks to any “lotalty” programs unless you frequent the lounges. I’m sure those will be the next target for overhaul as more passengers are willing to spend $70-100 on a pass for a long layover.
Y’all got the sads cuz y’all spent $30,000 on Bob’s shindig and Bob still doesn’t like you?
The airlines make more money on co branded credit cards than actual flights. If ff start dumping these cards they’ll eventually get the message. Get the best cash back cards and buy the upgrade.
So you expect to get something for nothing. You COULD use your miles, but you don’t want to . You want the airline to forego making more money over your $30k spend because you think you are loyal (when in the article you said flat out you were debating between Delta and American (that isn’t loyalty). Now let’s look at what is more valuable to an airline. Let’s say you spend $200k per YEAR in CC AND you fly $30k worth. Now, let’s say American can sell ONE upgrade for even $40 on every flight it operates. The rough estimate is 6700 flights per day. THAT translates into $268,000 EVERY SINGLE DAY. Now, do that for 350 days a year. That is added revenue of $93.8 MILLION. That is making the low ball assumption on selling it at $40 and only selling one of them per flight. Explain to me again how that one time a year traveler is less valuable than a self entitled flyer like you is?
Oh no! The poors might get something for cheap instead of giving it to you for free! Insanity!
It seems to be pretty rare for Gary to write a complementary article about AA. Why on earth give them your business? In over 40 years of flying, I’ve flown AA twice. Both were miserable experiences, about 20 years apart. The second time was their second chance. There will not be a third.
It just seems the argument of “my $30000 per year at AA gets me less than a one time flyer” is telling me that AA has no incentive to change. If they won’t change, why don’t you change?
40 years ago I did stay loyal to an airline, until things like this happened. Then I switched. Until things like this happened.
Now, I just pick and choose without loyalty. It’s not worth the trouble.
“There’s a sucker born every minute” is a saying often attributed to P. T. Barnum. If a company does not deliver on it’s promised goods and services, don’t prove that you were the one for the minute you were born.
Your anti-labor slip is showing. Neither Delta or United gave their pilots first class deadheads…those benefits were negotiated under the new collective bargaining agreements both groups work under. Those pilots negotiated that quality of life improvement and may have left pay rate, vacation, disability, or other overrides on the table to earn that hard fought benefit.
The frequent flier game is over. Why anyone would reward an airline with their loyalty is lost on me. Business travelers have stubbornly given airlines their business for decades and that loyalty has been repaid with nothing.
@Brett – it is false that United’s pilot deadhead agreement was “negotiated under the new collective bargaining agreements both groups work under. Those pilots negotiated that quality of life improvement and may have left pay rate, vacation, disability, or other overrides on the table to earn that hard fought benefit.”
You’re making assumptions and don’t know the history here.
United traded first class deadheads to ALPA for seniority flexibility to avoid furloughing pilots during the pandemic when they weren’t operating enough to keep all pilots current. ALPA demanded United give pilots benefits in exchange for not furloughing pilots. This wasn’t done as part of a new pilot contract (ratified two years ago), it was done when the first pandemic payroll subsidies were ending.
With status providing 2-3 free checked bags, it’s a no brainer for a non elite to pay to upgrade to FC at $40 which includes 2 70lb checked bags.
I have been flying Alaska from LAX to SJO Costa Rica for the past two years, I’ll hit 75,000 miles on my next flight. I have voiced my displeasure with Alaska more than once about them not upgrading me when they had 5 first class seats open. They instead sold the seats vs upgrading me. With this flight status I get four first class upgrade certificates, yet they are completely useless on this route or any other prime flight. Instead of waiting for an upgrade I just went ahead and purchased first class tickets.
For 2025 I have purchased 12 first class tickets for myself and family. The sad reality is the airlines only care about profit and dangle award winnings to their loyal customers.
I am not a frequent flyer and so have not earned those loyalty points. That being said, I don’t think it is fair to those who have PAID THEIR WAY into loyalty status. All you yahoos who think otherwise, sound like a bunch of entitled brats, imo.
I understand where you are coming from however it does sound pretentious.
What’s so frustrating is the airlines have put loyal customers at a bind. I have over 400k loyalty pt this year and over 850k award miles left after using 500k+.
I’m usually the first one on the upgrade list. almost always. so why would I pay for upgrade seat, when if free I know it’s mine. so I have tons of points that I could spend on the upgrade, but I don’t want to spend on points when I know it’ll be mine if no one buys. and what if I’m the only one who bought? I just wasted award miles for no reason.
Great job making loyal customer so agitated. sometimes I have no idea what to do.
What I do is just purchase a first class ticket. Works every time. Don’t even have to stick with the same airline, I can choose whatever airline I want.
So pay the $40!
I have 2M+ miles on a certain airline so clearly I have some loyalty. I never ask for or expect anything free. It’s simple, I want to sit in first, so I pay for first.
Bloomingdale’s never gives me their clothing free, but I still shop there often.
You get what you pay for and expecting something free, even if you were taught you deserved it free, is unreasonable.
So pay the $40!
I have 2M+ miles on a certain airline so clearly I have some loyalty. I never ask for or expect anything free. It’s simple, I want to sit in first, so I pay for first.
Bloomingdale’s never gives me their merchandise free, but I still shop there often.
You get what you pay for and expecting something free, even if you were trained to think you deserved it free, is unreasonable.
Nobody ever said what status they are? Im concierge key and I get upgraded. Spend more money, then they will help you. You can buy status with AA, but that gets you a lounge trip, no free seats!
I am no longer loyal to any airline. I buy what I want, based on price and schedule. No speculation. I was treated very well with my EXP and Emerald status 10 years ago. But gave that up.
Just purchased an upgrade to F for 95$ on my PHX-PSP flight. Gets me a better seat and an extra piece of luggage.
Sorry to those who were speculating on an upgrade on that flight. Only 2 seats were sold, now only 2 available 10 days out.
Maybe I’m missing something, but isn’t the argument that if you are going to sell a seat cheap, you should sell it to someone with status?