Already purchased coach seat, looking longingly at first which at $600 round is inviting when I calculate in check in, baggage, security lines. I would need to wait until 8/10 to do it, flight is 8/15, but lots of availability right now.
I would think that the cost would go up as the seats become booked, rather than just getting closer to the date of the flight.
If a flight has plenty of available first class seats 24 hours before the flight, some airlines will offer very cheap upgrades.
Check in 24 hours before the flight and ask.
Seems like the cost of an upgrade would depend on supply and demand. If First Class seats are mostly booked, an upgrade into one of the remaining ones ought to cost a lot more than if many remain.
This.
What matters now is the trajectory of filling the seats. Back in Ye Darke Ages airlines used days remaining until the flight departs as a crude proxy for demand. So earlier upgrades were cheaper. That is *soooo *last-millennium now.
You can think of it as a game of chicken between the airlines and the passengers. If you feel lucky you can defer the purchase and maybe get a bargain. But if it turns out you’re unlucky you’ll get a price increase or maybe get squeezed out altogether instead.
Yo pays yo money and yo takes yo chances. In this game the airline has a lot more data than you do.