Air India to auction class upgrades

New Delhi: Very soon you may not need a godfather or frequent-flier points to upgrade from economy to business class or club class to first on the national carrier’s flights. The public sector airline plans to encash upgrade opportunities and leave the field open to passengers.
If seats are vacant on a higher class, the airline will give passengers an option to quote a price for upgradation. The highest bidder gets the upgrade and the system is similar to the one followed by some European Ailines such as Virgin Atlantic.
In effect, the patronage system which was allowing influential people to get upgraded would be scrapped. In the bargain, officials feel, the airline would end up making some extra revenue.
An economy class ticket on Air India’s Mumbai-New York non-stop flight costs Rs 57,000. While a business class ticket on the same flight costs Rs 1.59 lakh, a first class ticket comes with a price tag of Rs 3.6 lakh.
11/08/07 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Categories: Air India Aug 2007