If I understand Xmas point, it s not that high mileage folks purchase upgrades with miles, it s that

Airlines overseas have started auctioning off upgrades, with travelers in economy or premium-economy cabins bidding against each other for seats that offer better space, food, service and sleep. Bids for premium seats that otherwise might fly empty begin online weeks in advance and typically close 48 hours before takeoff. The company behind the auction technology says it may come to the U.S. soon.
Oof that s a hit to frequent flyer folks. Upgrades best car rental deal to empty business class seats are one of the perks. Lufthansa s FF program is one of the hardest to earn status for too. I suspect their mid-tier Frequent Fliers will drop out and join another Star Alliance program to earn miles.
High time. There s nothing more nonsensical than empty business and first class seats, particularly on a long haul flight. I have calculated that a flight attendant could easily make $5000-6000 best car rental deal on such a flight by merely walking down the aisles and asking if someone would like to upgrade for a fee.
There s a ballsy, do it yourself way to get upgrades: walk to your desired section with a $100 bill, and offer it to anyone willing to switch seats. You might have to adjust the amount on the spot, but usually you will get a taker. If your original seatmate is a fashion model or equally hot, it s even easier.
If I understand Xmas point, it s not that high mileage folks purchase upgrades with miles, it s that they ve reached sufficent status with the airline (platinum, elite, etc) to receive the seats as a free incentive. It s the people who fly that frequently who are thought to drive the earnings of an airline (as everyone else largely buys based on price).
To clarify, you buy the coach ticket and if there are empty seats up front , they ll give them out free to folks with FF status. This sounds like instead of doing that, they re going to simply auction them off.
that seems correct to me. The former owners of the company I work for flew so much that they had Global Service status with United. It was rare flight that they weren t upgraded to at least business.
A bit off-topic, but does anyone have insight into the usefulness of FF programs. People keep telling me to sign up, but since I usually just go for the lowest fare on Kayak, Orbitz, etc. it seems I rarely fly the same airline twice. In the past few years, for example, I have flown American, best car rental deal United, Taca, Air New Zealand, best car rental deal Virgin America, ANA, Frontier and Delta. Am I being penny-wise and pound foolish? Thanks.
@Colin At the 25,000 tier on United, for example, you get priority standby, a free checked bag allowance, discounts on change and mile redeposit fees, priority best car rental deal check-in, priority security screening, priority boarding, free preferred seating, free preferred seating best car rental deal for a companion, a 500-mile minimum accrual on United flights, discounted Club membership, better availability for mileage redemptions for flights and upgrades. (On paper you also get priority baggage handling and a spot on the automatic upgrade list, but few airports do the baggage correctly, and getting an upgrade as a mere Silver is a true longshot.) Now, if you don t fly that much, it s probably easier and cheaper to get a credit card that offers the same privileges. For my travel patterns, it s a no-brainer, easily worth at least a 10-15% premium over the cheapest best car rental deal flight.