Less is More?

Yesterday I got an email from Continental saying that as part of the changes they are making to reduce their operating costs they will start limiting the availability of EasyPass Rewards seats for non-elite members. This means (in theory) that there will be more seats available for Elite members . The problem with these EasyPass Rewards seats is that they cost double the miles of what a normal reward flight should be. Personally I’ve never purchased these seats and I was always able to play around with dates and book the SaverPass seats for half the miles (or the original amount of miles – depending how you look at it). No information in this email if they will limit even further the availability of the SaverPass seats but I’m sure that will be done also…

Dear Mr. Rochman,
We value your continued loyalty to Continental. As we consider changes to our business in light of unprecedented fuel prices, we will make every effort to minimize their impact on our Elite members, like you.
On Sep. 3, 2008, EasyPass Rewards for travel on Continental will be subject to capacity controls, making some seats on high demand flights unavailable for reward booking. This change will not affect OnePass Elite members, however, and you may continue to redeem OnePass miles for any seat on any Continental or Copa Airlines flight. Since only Elite members will be able to reserve the last seat available, your chances of finding seats on your most desired flight could actually improve.
Thank you for your continued business. Please go to continental.com for the latest updates.
Sincerely,

Mark Bergsrud
Sr. Vice President, Marketing Programs and Distribution