Fliers shelling out more for upgrades By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY Some business travelers expect to pay more out of their own pocket next=20 year to upgrade into first class. That's because several carriers are=20 raising the cost of upgrades for elite-level fliers.On May 1, Delta Air=20 Lines is raising the price of vouchers to $160 from $120 for four vouchers= =20 and decreasing their value to 500 miles from 800 miles.In January, American= =20 Airlines raises the price of its 500-mile vouchers from $31.25 each for=20 eight or more to $40 or $50 each, depending on where they are bought.United= =20 Airlines in October raised the price of upgrades =97 the first increase= since=20 1996 =97 by 60%, to $200 for four 500-mile vouchers from $125. For Portland, Ore.-based computer consultant Marc Belsher, the Delta=20 changes mean he'll have to pay more than twice as much to upgrade on his=20 2,180-mile flight to Atlanta. Not only will he have to buy more vouchers,=20 but he'll also have to pay more for each of them. Under the new program, he= =20 figures he'll have to pay $200 instead of $90 each way."It's going to hurt= =20 a lot," Belsher says. "That comes out of my own pocket, (but) my life is on= =20 the road." Getting occasional upgrades and "enjoying a little bit more=20 privilege" help make that life more pleasurable, he says.Delta says it's=20 charging more to reflect the demand for upgrades, especially with capacity= =20 down 15%. "We think that a first-class seat or premium-cabin seat has a value, and=20 right now it's not reflected in our program," says Delta spokesman John=20 Kennedy.Upgrade coupons are popular with frequent fliers because many=20 businesses ban or restrict the purchase of first-class tickets but will=20 sometimes reimburse for upgrades.Upgrade fees can be a big moneymaker for=20 major carriers at a time when they are losing record amounts of money.Most= =20 have the fees, although Continental and Northwest give their elite members= =20 free upgrades.Matthew Bennett, publisher of First Class Flyer newsletter,=20 says business travelers can't expect to have it all =97 cheap fares, easy=20 upgrades and healthy airlines."The American consumer is spoiled," Bennett=20 says. "They can't have everything." The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (TnT News) http://www.tntmirror.com/ (TnT News) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************