Economy Plus

United Airlines has something called Economy Plus. You get 5 extra inches of leg room on both domestic and international flights. Economy Plus seats are available on a complimentary basis to its Mileage Plus Elite Members. Nice.

If you are not an Elite member, you can buy the upgrade. It used to be that you had to wait until you got to the airport to buy the upgrade, if it was available, after all the Elite members had checked in. Now, if you want, you can book, pay for and ticket Economy Plus at the time you make your reservation. Cost is $14 per ticket and up. Sounds like a great idea, right?

Well, for those of us who are NOT Elite members I think it's a great idea. But imagine if you are an Elite member who would normally get an Economy Plus seat and now find yourself in the back of the plane because they've all been given away or previously sold. If I was an Elite member I don't think I'd be happy.