UpgradeMe pricing and success

[serfty]

4 J seats left, and I'm trying to get 4 upgrades

Upgrading 4 seats to an 8 seat cabin would be pushing it in most situations.

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

Have put in a bid upgrade with VA for the first time. Have just been sent my online check in for the economy fare. Should I hold off on check in until I know the status of my upgrade?

I don't believe that it makes the difference. You may as well just check in and if the upgrade goes through you will be reallocated.

 

[lovestotravel]

Upgrading 4 seats to an 8 seat cabin would be pushing it in most situations.

For sure, I have managed it once out of 4 attempts. I watch the seat map multiple times a day, and can usually work out who got upgraded..

On my recent MEL-NAN flight, I ended up moving 2 of us into 3A and 3B when they got upgraded....

I made a comment to the new people in 2A and 2C and thanked them for giving up their seats, they kinda understood me....

However, the person in 3C was not happy, and they made a comment to their other seatmates in 3D/E/F that I must have paid for the seats in 3A/C and she wasn't happy as she thought they would be empty or others further back could then pay to move into 3A/C

After we got chatting, I told her that I was platinum and picked the seats for free when the others got upgraded. She wasn't that impressed

As it turns out a family/friends group of 8+ of them were bidding for upgrades, I told her I gave up at $350 and she laughed, as the group of them were bidding against each other and it ended up going for $900 each.... I didn't comment on the value of that, when they told me they paid $500 each for the Y tickets..

She hadn't been in row 3 before and after a while she commented that it was better than Row 1 and 2 and I said, exactly why I picked it for free.

Now that FJ fly their A350's into MEL and the J pricing is cheaper than VA on most flights I'm flying to FJ now

 

[openseat]

A friend was showing me some bizzare upgrade process. She bid the minimum +$10 (so I think $320) for MEL to PER. Later she received an email that she had been outbid and suggesting she should bid $900. Yet the day before her flight she received a text from her credit card provider that a charge had gone through and was upgraded.
It seems dodgy to send out an email to say you have been outbid and then it turns out you're not. Unless of course someone had cancelled or changed their flight.

 

[SeaWolf]

You can be outbid by someone but there still be available seats. So if there's three business seats and you get outbid you might still be number three in line and get one. Or you might drop back to fourth in line and get nothing instead.

 

[Cynicor]

So the system now, if it did t before, shows you the alleged empty seats, competing number of bidders and current maximum bid . Other bidders doesn’t bother me one jot but if the available seats were to be believed then I needed 2/2 and the competing bids were at $330.
I wouldn’t normally be suckered into this but with 1 kid in a wheelchair and 1 lap infant I figured the upgrade would be worth it.
I put my bid in to top the current bid 5 min before bidding closed and it was processed and won soon after.
$330 Mel-per

 

[kileskus]

BNE-MEL minimim + $15 from Choice fare. Probably overpaid given there were 4 seats available
Got confirmation T-24
I couldn't see competing bids

 

[ChrisMars]

Are upgrademe point processed before or after upgrademe bid?

 

[fletty]

BNE > MEL minimum + $20 from choice fare, went through at T-18. ExpertFlyer was showing 2 seats remaining prior to placing the bid.

 

[newmarket]

How does Virgin handle upgrades when two people are travelling together (same PNR) and only one upgrade seat is available? I'd rather skip the upgrade so my wife and I can sit together.

If only one seat is available will it go to a single traveller?

 

[bayleyb]

PER - ADL min ($120) + $70, accepted t-25 for 2pax.

I never received an "outbid" email, although the bid portal recommended me to bid $210 to be "1st". Maintained my $190 pp bid & it paid off. Keen to try Virgin J for the first time, usually fly QF.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

PER - ADL min ($120) + $70, accepted t-25 for 2pax.

I never received an "outbid" email, although the bid portal recommended me to bid $210 to be "1st". Maintained my $190 pp bid & it paid off. Keen to try Virgin J for the first time, usually fly QF.

Interested to hear your experience! I think they each have their pros and cons. The main winner for VA is the pre-departure beverages. The food is also very fresh and tasty. QF wins by having almost guaranteed wifi and inflight entertainment. Wifi is rare on VA, and you have a 30% chance of the IFE working at all. QF wins with better drinks once in the air.

 

[simmomelb]

How does Virgin handle upgrades when two people are travelling together (same PNR) and only one upgrade seat is available? I'd rather skip the upgrade so my wife and I can sit together.

If only one seat is available will it go to a single traveller?

Via UpgradeMe Bid? It won't go through if you are booked together and there is only 1 J seat.
You can bid safely knowing you will be sitting together either way.

 

[SeaWolf]

Success on PER-SYD for $285, which was $10 more than the minimum. Came through with 25 hours to departure. Looking at the seat map this seems like it's a fairly quiet flight, in both cabins, though the seat maps can sometimes be deceptive if people haven't selected a seat yet.

 

[Subharpoon]

Success with min bid ($120x2) for 2 Pax from Choice fare MEL-SYD 5/2/24.

 

[marks]

A friend was showing me some bizzare upgrade process. She bid the minimum +$10 (so I think $320) for MEL to PER. Later she received an email that she had been outbid and suggesting she should bid $900. Yet the day before her flight she received a text from her credit card provider that a charge had gone through and was upgraded.
It seems dodgy to send out an email to say you have been outbid and then it turns out you're not. Unless of course someone had cancelled or changed their flight.

Same just happened for me. BNE-DPS. T-25 was approved. But got an outbid message 2 days ago and advised to increase the bid another $350. Just checked the seating and there is still another J seat available.
Now how do I get them to bring a few bottles of the Archie Rose Gin into the front cabin...

 

[Fifa]

OOL-MEL on a choice fare. Successful with minimum bid of $135 x 2 seats

 

[CaptJCool]

Same just happened for me. BNE-DPS. T-25 was approved. But got an outbid message 2 days ago and advised to increase the bid another $350. Just checked the seating and there is still another J seat available.
Now how do I get them to bring a few bottles of the Archie Rose Gin into the front cabin...

this outbidding can be correct as far as "you were actually out-bid" and if there's only one J seat, its not yours.
However, if there's 2 or more seats you can be outbid but still win the seat

this is auction pricing at its finest where you don't have all the information about the other bidders, and the number of ACTUAL available seats.

its in their interests to tell you this ONE DETAIL about the auction pricing without giving you the OVERALL PICTURE

Its also trying to find out just how much you are willing to pay for the same seat as others - Starbucks do it very well with coffee - extracting more money from some than others for in effect "the same cup of coffee"

Starbucks Pricing Strategy & Brand Loyalty Program Explained ☕️

How did Starbucks establish itself as one of the most successful companies in the world through pricing and brand loyalty strategy?

taylorwells.com.au

 

[MooTime]

the Archie Rose Gin into the front cabin...

I didn't think DPS destination travellers would consume Archie Rose, more the Gordon's or Woodstock types.

Couldn't help it, shoot me down!

 

[marks]

I didn't think DPS destination travellers would consume Archie Rose, more the Gordon's or Woodstock types.

They have removed the Fever Tree Tonic now too. Only that Schweppes rubbish. What will us Bogans & Karens do now?