A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travelling Style » Air travel
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 18th, 2011, 03:57 PM posted to rec.travel.air
stonej
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 32
Default How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?

If a flight is sold out on coach and only a few first class tickets
remain how often
do airlines let the first class tickets go for a coach price? Seems
it is better to fill a
seat with a paying customer than to let it sit empty.
  #2  
Old March 18th, 2011, 04:00 PM posted to rec.travel.air
David Pirmann
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5
Default How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?

In stonej writes:

If a flight is sold out on coach and only a few first class tickets
remain how often do airlines let the first class tickets go for a
coach price? Seems it is better to fill a seat with a paying
customer than to let it sit empty.


Never. The coach section is (usually) oversold anyway; so they'll
upgrade some people out of coach (status FF members, full fare payers,
etc), and then put the overbooked coach buyers into the freed up coach
seats.
  #3  
Old March 18th, 2011, 05:07 PM posted to rec.travel.air
irwell
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 758
Default How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?

On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:00:57 +0000 (UTC), David Pirmann wrote:

In stonej writes:

If a flight is sold out on coach and only a few first class tickets
remain how often do airlines let the first class tickets go for a
coach price? Seems it is better to fill a seat with a paying
customer than to let it sit empty.


Never. The coach section is (usually) oversold anyway; so they'll
upgrade some people out of coach (status FF members, full fare payers,
etc), and then put the overbooked coach buyers into the freed up coach
seats.


We have been upgraded from economy to first class twice without
asking, the first time was from San Francisco to London via
Minneapolis, we had to change at MSP and there was an Air Traffic
Controller's strike about to start in London, in the hurry to get
the plane off to beat the deadline several coach passengers ended
up in First Class, we did get all the benefits that went with it.

The second time was from Rome to New York on TWA, the counter agent
in Rome had just been harrased by some pushy nuns, when she saw
our patient smiling faces she put us in first as a little bonus.
  #4  
Old March 19th, 2011, 02:00 AM posted to rec.travel.air
Brian[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,152
Default How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?

On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:07:51 -0700, Irwell wrote:


We have been upgraded from economy to first class twice without
asking, the first time was from San Francisco to London via
Minneapolis, we had to change at MSP and there was an Air Traffic
Controller's strike about to start in London, in the hurry to get
the plane off to beat the deadline several coach passengers ended
up in First Class, we did get all the benefits that went with it.

The second time was from Rome to New York on TWA, the counter agent
in Rome had just been harrased by some pushy nuns, when she saw
our patient smiling faces she put us in first as a little bonus.


But that wasn't buying the first class ticket at coach prices. I think
the original poster was looking for something guaranteed.

Air Tran has had the possibility of upgrading from coach by paying a
relatively small additional amount. We haven't flown Air Tran in a few
years since they started charging for each bag. The destinations we
would have booked are either served also by Southwest, which has two
free bags, or by Delta where we get one free bag with the credit card.

We also flew to Rome on United. We were booked in business and were
given the option of upgrading to first class for about $250.
  #5  
Old March 19th, 2011, 10:40 PM posted to rec.travel.air
Graham Harrison[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 288
Default How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?


"stonej" wrote in message
...
If a flight is sold out on coach and only a few first class tickets
remain how often
do airlines let the first class tickets go for a coach price? Seems
it is better to fill a
seat with a paying customer than to let it sit empty.


I'm not sure about economy to first but some European airlines have been
known to offer things like "buy a round trip business class and we'll
upgrade you one way to first". What does happen is that in the last few
days before travel, if they don't believe they will sell the higher class
seats they will add the number of higher class seats to the economy
inventory. I've seen flights that had 5 seats available in every single
class and when I booked a seat in any class all the others went down to 4 (I
tried booking both economy and later business). On the assumption that the
flight then sells out what then happens is that, on the day, they upgrade
some passengers. Generally the passengers upgraded will have paid higher
fares, be premium members of the frequent flyer club - in other words there
is a commercial reason for doing so. But not always and the old saw about
upgrading men who look like they are on business doesn't always apply. I
turned up for a flight from the US back to London on a very cheap economy
ticket, carrying a medium sized backpack and wearing a 49ers jacket (over a
neat but not visible sport coat and shirt with slacks) and got upgraded.
Last year I was booked in premium economy outbound and business home and got
upgraded on the way out with an even bigger (camera) pack and no frequent
flyer status which I have a feeling was because I was booked business on the
way back.

  #6  
Old March 20th, 2011, 07:33 AM posted to rec.travel.air
Runge 128
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 300
Default How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?

Awwww irwell nice smiling and patient...


"Irwell" a écrit dans le message de groupe de discussion :
...

On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:00:57 +0000 (UTC), David Pirmann wrote:

In
stonej writes:

If a flight is sold out on coach and only a few first class tickets
remain how often do airlines let the first class tickets go for a
coach price? Seems it is better to fill a seat with a paying
customer than to let it sit empty.


Never. The coach section is (usually) oversold anyway; so they'll
upgrade some people out of coach (status FF members, full fare payers,
etc), and then put the overbooked coach buyers into the freed up coach
seats.


We have been upgraded from economy to first class twice without
asking, the first time was from San Francisco to London via
Minneapolis, we had to change at MSP and there was an Air Traffic
Controller's strike about to start in London, in the hurry to get
the plane off to beat the deadline several coach passengers ended
up in First Class, we did get all the benefits that went with it.

The second time was from Rome to New York on TWA, the counter agent
in Rome had just been harrased by some pushy nuns, when she saw
our patient smiling faces she put us in first as a little bonus.

  #7  
Old April 13th, 2011, 07:15 PM posted to rec.travel.air
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 899
Default How often do airlines let first class seats sell at coach prices?

On 3/18/2011 7:57 AM, stonej wrote:
If a flight is sold out on coach and only a few first class tickets
remain how often
do airlines let the first class tickets go for a coach price? Seems
it is better to fill a
seat with a paying customer than to let it sit empty.


They sell more coach seats and upgrade their preferred passengers to
first class.
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Lufthansa coach exit row seats ThomasG Air travel 7 October 4th, 2004 04:45 AM
Airline coach seats to England AJC Air travel 3 July 20th, 2004 09:30 AM
Two people, three coach seats? AES/newspost Air travel 18 November 11th, 2003 07:44 PM
Fly First & Business Class for Coach Prices Concordia Travel Air travel 1 September 15th, 2003 02:09 AM
Fly First & Business Class for Coach Prices Concordia Travel Africa 0 September 13th, 2003 01:26 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:07 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.