kangarooflyer88
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- May 29, 2021
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You can request the upgrade on flights starting at 48 hours prior to departure with notifications being sent out at 12 hours prior to departure at the earliest. Upgrade priority is based on the following order:How far out did they notify you of upgrade?
I’ve got LATAM Black but it’s really a nothing program for me as the upgrade system seems too much of a gamble. No way am I flying in Y for that length so if the upgrade doesn’t process I’d need to make sure I can cancel my ticket and have adequate back up plans
Note: UPG biding means the bid for upgrade program where you name your own price and see if the upgrade clears. So holding Black status puts you ahead of them. Additionally, when there is a tie on status they use the following factors to break the tie:1. Black Signature
2. Black
3. UPG Biding
4. Platinum
5. Gold Plus/Gold
You can see your progress in the queue once you place the upgrade request:Elite Status, Having a LATAM Branded Credit Card and When You Placed Your Bid Upgrade Request.
![FOO.png FOO.png](https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/data/attachments/380/380285-103384b33fb894628691586ba15d9ab8.jpg)
So far I've got three flights with LATAM: Melbourne to Santiago, Santiago to São Paulo and São Paulo to Florianopolis for myself and my partner. LATAM allowed me to request an upgrade for myself and partners from their website. So long as someone is on the same LATAM flight as you, you can request an upgrade for them using your coupons. In terms of what cleared Melbourne and Santiago and São Paulo to Florianopolis both cleared. Oh and by the way that Santiago to São Paulo upgrade wasn't a huge deal for the simple reason that it's on a narrow body aircraft and you have Euro business style seats. So nothing truly to write home about. LATAM business on the 787 on the other hand, is a whole other story.
To your last point, yes upgrades are completely a roll of the dice. If you want to be guaranteed business you need to book it. However, there are ways to load the dice so that it ends up rolling in your favour such as researching dates where it is less likely that the business class cabin will be full. Additionally, it should be noted that even if you lose out on the bid upgrade, you still get your choice of any Economy seat on LATAM so that's still better than some other airlines if you must fly economy. And yes there are huge differences between economy seats you select. Additionally, you'd still have access to things like lounge access in Santiago. For me that was also a nice to have. The LATAM Signature lounge is very nice and even has private rooms with beds where you can catch a snooze.
-RooFlyer88