I thought the frequency had been tweaked?

[diskoerekto]

This was well written Emrah. I agree with all of it I think 

Good to know at least one person read it

[schro]

There are no free upgrades at most European airlines, except op-up.

In the US, domestic upgrades are the most common perk to the FF programs. They also have a truely upgraded seat compared to the European model of just not putting anyone in the middle of a Y seat.

When I was platinum with Delta, I was virtually guaranteed to sit in F with the purchase of any Y class fare to anywhere in the US. That is a pretty good reason to take the A319. :-).

Of course, long haul differs significantly...

[LemonButt]

In the US, domestic upgrades are the most common perk to the FF programs. They also have a truely upgraded seat compared to the European model of just not putting anyone in the middle of a Y seat.

When I was platinum with Delta, I was virtually guaranteed to sit in F with the purchase of any Y class fare to anywhere in the US. That is a pretty good reason to take the A319. :-).

Of course, long haul differs significantly...

I used to fly for free on Delta when my stepfather worked for Comair.  Since we flew standby, we always had to dress for first/business class (yes, there is a dress code) because they'd rather put standby passengers in first class than upgrade coach tickets for free--it sets a bad precedent like you just described

[schro]

I used to fly for free on Delta when my stepfather worked for Comair.  Since we flew standby, we always had to dress for first/business class (yes, there is a dress code) because they'd rather put standby passengers in first class than upgrade coach tickets for free--it sets a bad precedent like you just described

The dress code was to make sure you didn't put the airline in a bad light, and since the price was right, they could make you jump through as many hoops as they wanted.

I'm not necessarily sure its a _bad_ thing to set that precedant. The folks that fly often enough to earn status levels are usually buying more expensive Y class tickets than those who do not, so keeping their attention with the upgrade reward is a good way to ensure that they don't stray for a lower price (especially if they are allowed to spend more via a corporate policy, as they're often geared towards saving maximum time and convinience of doing business).

[L1011fan]

I agree with you 100%. 

I re evaluated my situation and it is still much much much better to use 753s on everything that goes from EWR to Western Europe.  And because you only need 3-4 max (except for LHR or CDG), you never get penalized. 

I am calling the current state of this change the "Japan Rule".  No longer can one person fly 737s every 5 minutes to the same place.  Other than that, there are very few other places that have enough demand where this rule will actually have an impact.

Well said!!!! Bravo!!!! This has happened all too often for so long!!!

[Jona L.]

I agree with you 100%. 

I re evaluated my situation and it is still much much much better to use 753s on everything that goes from EWR to Western Europe.  And because you only need 3-4 max (except for LHR or CDG), you never get penalized. 

I am calling the current state of this change the "Japan Rule".  No longer can one person fly 737s every 5 minutes to the same place.  Other than that, there are very few other places that have enough demand where this rule will actually have an impact.

Well said!!!! Bravo!!!! This has happened all too often for so long!!!

This leads to the one question: When will we come to the point, that only number of seats is relevant?! Because IRL no one would prefer a smaller plane flying 3x daily...
a) I just need one plane anyways
b) The bigger plane is (usually - exceptions as DC-10 always occur) safer in the air and less susceptible for wind and turbulence
c) Bigger planes make more of an interest for the standard traveler... excepting us aircraft "freaks" preferring the one or the other type

Just my 2 cents on this....

Cheers,
Jona L.

[mmcg]

This leads to the one question: When will we come to the point, that only number of seats is relevant?! Because IRL no one would prefer a smaller plane flying 3x daily...
a) I just need one plane anyways
b) The bigger plane is (usually - exceptions as DC-10 always occur) safer in the air and less susceptible for wind and turbulence
c) Bigger planes make more of an interest for the standard traveler... excepting us aircraft "freaks" preferring the one or the other type

Just my 2 cents on this....

Cheers,
Jona L.

On a high frequency route, more flights is better as it gives the traveller a large choice of times they can arrive. Eg., I'm in SYD and need to get to MEL for lunchtime for a business meeting and be back for my dinner with wife and kids or I need to be in MEL for 7am for a long work day and back the following morning at my regular office for 7am. A large selection of flights means I can do that, rather than having two flights a day, one in the morning that gets me there too early for my meeting and one in the evening that gets me back home when my kids are in bed.

[Jona L.]

Move your meetings, mmcg

[samomuransky]

Sure, but that's op-up. It's not like in the US where they upgrade FF on regular basis and it's published benefit.