The Operational Upgrade Thread

[mushez]

Only confirmed at boarding in "most" cases.

However there are times you are told during check in - or during check in to the lounge.

Once you are upgraded, you will find under "manage booking" your seat allocation is gone, and there is no allocated seat for you. Even once you have your upgraded boarding pass - manage booking will not reflect the seat you have been allocated in the upgraded class and will simply not show any seat selection.

Best way I find to know you have been upgraded, is to pre-select a seat. The second you cannot see in "manage booking" a seat allocated to you - 100% of the time in my experience you have been upgraded.

OH - and also - during Check in to the flight, even though you may have lost your allocated seat - they will find the easiest/freest seat to allocate you to generate a boarding pass in the class of travel booked - to uphold the appearance you have not been upgraded yet. Often followed by a lot of tapping on the keyboard after the boarding pass has been printed, to give those seats back to whom they were for - and moving you to your upgraded seat in the system for that lovely beep to generate at the boarding gate. Often a call to the load operator to release seats to do this required.

If I see I have lost my allocated seat, and during check in they give me a middle seat, in the middle of the plane - I don't kick up a fuss to get a window or isle - because I know it simply was the less paperwork seat to keep up appearances and hide the fact I will simply be upgraded at the gate.

I almost by default log in to check the manage booking option on the EK website during the drive to the Airport, to see if I have lost my allocated seat. If I have not lost my seat - a visit to Expertflyer is followed, to note un-allocated seats - like exit seats I may ask to be moved to during check in. Expertflyer is not an option of 5th freedom flights where your flight is the 2nd or subsequent legs of that flight.

 

[drvish]

My partner was flying on Cx BNE-HKG yesterday and got an op up from Y to PE at online check in (T-24) and the at the airport was given another up to J!
Connecting flight from Hkg-Del was also op up'd at the gate in HKG! She's QF Silver!

I doubt a similar fate will be bestowed on me in 2 weeks time.

 

[mushez]

Further to what I posted earlier.

Booked flight 5:30pm yesterday to fly today at 8:30am. Selected 54H at booking, as one of 5 seats free.

This morning on way to Airport, logged in to see I lost allocated seat and had no allocated seat.

Present to Check in to flight, and was handed boarding pass for 18F and informed upgraded to Business Class because flight was oversold in economy.

 

[VPS]

J reward on QF 10 from LHR to DXB a couple of weeks ago. Unsolicited upgrade to F for that sector. Sadly then onto Emirates 777 DXB to ADL in J.

 

[seanpodge]

Got an op up from Y to Premium Economy on SQ218 on 31/12. I assume it must have been oversold in Y since SQ are notorious for being stingy with upgrades and the seat selection map looked pretty full when I chose my seat a few days before hand. Found out the good news after being called to the front desk of the lounge at MEL.

While obviously not quite as good as going up to J/F, I was happy since I'd been curious about SQ PE for a while and here was a chance to test it out for free. It's certainly closer to Y than J, particularly if you already have *G. The legroom and seat width is clearly better than economy. The seat however doesn't lean back all that far so it's still not easy to sleep in. The food was of a similar standard to (the already very good) Y food. The bigger IFE screen is nice with a crisp picture. And I already had the other main benefits (priority queues for check in, boarding, priority luggage) thanks to *G. Overall, it's nice, but probably not worth more than a small premium (maybe 25-30%?) over Y.

Also, I quietly hope that they give me the 10% mileage bonus.

 

[Sdtravel]

Just got upgrade to Y+ on CX flight from HKG-SYD. Am a QF WP. They called many pax forward so perhaps the gods were in a good mood.

 

[AIRwin]

My partner (EK Platinum) was upgraded from J to F on his DXB-BNE flight. He wasn't paged at the F Lounge but had the magic beep at the gate so the flight must have been oversold in Y/J...

 

[Must...Fly!]

Y -> J op-up on Saturday afternoon, flying VA PER-MEL. A330 service, it was very full down the back - only selling Y5 on the day, so I had a feeling something might come my way.

It was my first flight as VA Platinum. Had catering not assured note, however received first choice for meals as they were catered for a full J cabin and a few were not eating. Either way I would not have cared, it was very much appreciated - drank, ate and even had a nap. Flight went incredibly quickly.

 

[JohnK]

Beep at the gate a weeks back on a QF SYD-BNE flight Sunday night. First op-up in a few years.

 

[cmon0005]

Beep at the gate a weeks back on a QF SYD-BNE flight Sunday night. First op-up in a few years.

They must have been softening you up for the ticketing stuff up the week later.

 

[Basalt]

My better half and I got a Y (red E deal) - J op-up at the gate the other weekend, BNE-MEL 717. Funnily enough I had wanted to try for an upgrade but it was supposedly a 1-class 717 so computer said no. Flight was re-scheduled 30min and voila, 2-class 717, only SG.

 

[serfty]

Had a last minute Y to W (PE) upgrade to an aisle seat in QF8 DFW-SYD earlier this month.

I noticed it on expertflyer as I went from the lounge to the gate.

Could think of no advantageous reason for it as flight was lightly sold.

Anyway, my original seat was still vacant so when I got to the gate I approached the service desk and had myself put back there.

For me, a row of three seats where I am the only PAX beats a PE seat with a seat mate on a 17 hour flight.

PS. My travel credited something like "DISCOUNT ECONOMY UPGRD FLEXIBLE ECONOMY".

 

[Mr_Orange]

For me, a row of three seats where I am the only PAX beats a PE seat with a seat mate on a 17 hour flight.

Interesting choice, but to each their own.

 

[Quickstatus]

For me, a row of three seats where I am the only PAX beats a PE seat with a seat mate on a 17 hour flight.

PS. My travel credited something like "DISCOUNT ECONOMY UPGRD FLEXIBLE ECONOMY".

Interesting choice, but to each their own.

I too would prefer a row of Y seats to myself instead of 1 PE seat. I understand this is common on QF8 due to the long distance.
Was it hard to lie across the 3 seats.

I believe you can also "upgrade" to the 4 seat for a nominal fee, but given a choice I would prefer the 3 seat due to the presence of the wall.

 

[JohnK]

Interesting choice, but to each their own.

I would rather 43H on a 747 than a middle premium economy seat and to be honest I'd rather 43H than any premium economy aisle seat other than bulkhead.

 

[serfty]

Interesting choice, but to each their own.

What would I have received in PE but not in Y? A glass of bubbles on boarding, food served in porcelain, drinks in glass, a more comfortable seat when sitting upright and the opportunity to sleep sitting up rather than lay flat.

As it happened, as a WP I did receive a glass of bubbles. I also had 9 hours of lay flat sleep.

This was 36F, 36D/E are blocked from selection and rarely allocated on this route. As mentioned, the wall beside 36D make it even better (stops pillows falling out for one thing).

As for sleeping, just cover the seatbelt bits not being used with blankets - you have three blankets and pillows to start with.

Now, if the upgrade had been to Business, that's a different story.

 

[willclan]

Hi, my partner and I have requested a points upgrade PE to Business on a Qantas flight from Hong Kong to Sydney in June.
If successful, does anyone know the chances of us being seated together, noting that the upgrade request does not guarantee this will occur? Have not done this before, so thought I would ask your advice.

Thanks.

 

[defurax]

I usually fly alone, but on the few occasions I've requested upgrades with my partner on the A380 and 747 we always ended up seated together. One thing you can do is to be proactive and access your booking as soon as you receive the upgrade notification to see if seats have been allocated and select new seats if required.

 

[JohnK]

Waiting close to 30 minutes at SYD T3 check-in yesterday for SYD-BNE flight and it appeared everyone had some sort of issue.

Checked in by a familiar face as I asked her to add daughter to booking and she advised I had been upgraded to business. We had seq #179 and #180 so a very full flight.

Flight more comfortable than the full OOL-SYD flight the day before and daughter was able to sleep on my arm with a pillow resting against the window side armrest.

That's the second op-up this year after going a few years without op-ups.

 

[teamhamsandwich]

QF29 the other day. Got the beep at the gate. Got upgraded from 30k in Y into 28k in Y. Lucky me.