Business Upgrade

[golby_04]

Hi,

I'd like to know if I upgraded from economy to business class using my points will that guarantee me a seat in business?

Thanks

 

[dragonman]

Hi,

I'd like to know if I upgraded from economy to business class using my points will that guarantee me a seat in business?

Thanks

No it won't. Assuming you have purchased an economy fare, your upgrade is a request only.

 

[oz_mark]

Hi,

I'd like to know if I upgraded from economy to business class using my points will that guarantee me a seat in business?

Thanks

Once it is confirmed and the points are taken it should (although they could in theory downgrade you again). For a domestic upgrade the confirmation, if available, would be at the time you requested it. For an international upgrade, it is only a request until it gets processed close to departure time

 

[Mal]

There are three types of points/SC upgrades.

Domestic points/SC's before the day you fly.
Domestic points/SC's "On Departure Upgrade"
International points/SC's.

Domestic points before the day you fly is where you upgrade via the Qantas website or over the phone where there are upgrade seats available in Business class and you get instant confirmation of your upgrade.

Domestic On departure, is where you request an upgrade at the Qantas Club and you may or may not get it depending on the loads on the flight.

International upgrades are only confirmed the night before/on the day of travel. You register previously and are advised how you went. You may or may not get the upgrade.

Keep in mind that seats are never fully guaranteed by Qantas. Even with a confirmed upgrade, you could still be flying "down the back" of the plane. It's all part of their conditions of carriage (but events like this are unlikey, and normally some kind of compensation would apply)

 

[Reggie]

Once it is confirmed and the points are taken it should (although they could in theory downgrade you again).

I have experienced a downgrade at depature gate. I and SWMBO both had the boarding passes for J seats, and the reader rejected the bp's and we had to go to service desk and we were issued with WHY bp's. Thus in practise they do downgrade, and when you read the terms and cosnditons of flying with them, they have no obligation to fly you in cabin paid (cash or points)

 

[NM]

There are three types of points/SC upgrades.

I think you mean UC (Upgrade Credit) and not SC (Status Credit). note that after the end of this month (May 2007), no more upgrade credits will exist since they expire after 2 years and Qantas ceased issuing UCs on 25th May 2005 (also known as "Enhancement Day").

So after the end of May, the only way to pay for an upgrade is with QF FF points.

And to clarify, domestic upgrades (for flights QF400 and above) can be confirmed ahead of travel is there is U class seats available. U class is the availability bucket from which business class award seats are provided. If there is no U class available, then you can request an On-Departure Upgrade at the Qantas Club service desk from 2 hours before scheduled departure. You cannot waitlist for a domestic upgrade.

International upgrades can only requested through the waitlisting process, where the waitlist is evaluated the day before departure and services in order of FF status and the time the waitlist request was submitted.

 

[munitalP]

It also depends on your status level. As a Platinum flyer, I bought 2 flights SYD / ALK / SYD for this evening yesterday morning. I also requested upgrades. My SYD / ALK was confirmed at the 23:59 hr to go mark - There is a pecking order, if a chairmans lounge member had requested the upgrades, he/she would have got it over me, as it is, I would guess that I was not the only request and there would have been people in Bronze, Silver and Gold Status levels, and people with discount economy fares (including Platinum members) who were turned down. The time of the waitlist matters not as far as I have experienced.

A simple equation is:

High cost economy fare + status = higher chance of upgrades / OP ups and On dep ups

 

[Mal]

I think you mean UC (Upgrade Credit) and not SC (Status Credit).

Ahh! Yes indeed. Always bad to both post here and cook up lunch at the same time!

 

[oz_mark]

Ahh! Yes indeed. Always bad to both post here and cook up lunch at the same time!

Fortunately (well, maybe not so fortunatley) the UC route will be gone soon, so won't have to worry about them anymore.

 

[serfty]

... A simple equation is:

High cost economy fare + status = higher chance of upgrades / OP ups and On dep ups

IME, Qantas do not appear to take fare paid into account at all when determining OD/OP/FFP upgrades.

OD's are a bit weird and being a manual process may to be at the whim of the QP Agent handling these, even though there are guidelines which appear to be simply be based on time of request.

As far as OPups go, these too are manual but status does seem to come first.

As far as International upgrades are concerned, Status, then time of request is used. Qantas publish part of the rules in their T&C's:

15.3.5 Flight Upgrades will be awarded to Members according to their Qantas Frequent Flyer status levels in the following order: Platinum Members first, then Gold Members, then Silver Members and then Bronze Members.

 

[pongie]

being a request only, I assume the opints are deducted only if the request gets approved?

 

[straitman]

being a request only, I assume the opints are deducted only if the request gets approved?

In a word.

YES