US: More frequent fliers pay for a first-class upgrade that once was free
The perks of being a frequent flier are not as valuable as they once were. That is especially evident to travellers hoping to score a free upgrade to first class. Airlines, more and more, would rather get money for those upgrades. So they are using last-minute deals to entice passengers to pay to move to the front of the plane, while leaving frequent fliers languishing on the waiting list. The offers are working. By last year, slightly more than half of DeltaÕs first-class passengers had paid to be there. By 2018, Delta says it hopes that percentage will grow to 70%, which would leave less than a third of the best seats available for free upgrades. Other big airlines, including United and American, cite similar shifts. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/imagelibrary/news/hot-topics/2016-07-13/general/us-more-frequent-fliers-pay-for-a-first-class-upgrade-that-once-was-free
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US: More frequent fliers pay for a first-class upgrade that once was free
The perks of being a frequent flier are not as valuable as they once were. That is especially evident to travellers hoping to score a free upgrade to first class. Airlines, more and more, would rather get money for those upgrades. So they are using last-minute deals to entice passengers to pay to move to the front of the plane, while leaving frequent fliers languishing on the waiting list. The offers are working. By last year, slightly more than half of DeltaÕs first-class passengers had paid to be there. By 2018, Delta says it hopes that percentage will grow to 70%, which would leave less than a third of the best seats available for free upgrades. Other big airlines, including United and American, cite similar shifts. <br/>
