PV_Premier

In the recent past you would usually know within 48 hours if you were going to get upgrade or at least have a good shot at it. Now you usually know about an hour before the flight

It is just like UA/DL. Upgrades are open AS EARLY AS 48 hr before the flight, but are not guaranteed to clear then...depends on U availability and your position on the list, as rustykettel said.

the42ndstate

I almost always have this issue when using a companion ticket with Mrs. the42ndstate (she is Gold). The system does not process the UG when U space is available at the 75K window. When I call in, the agents check the waitlist and push through the UGs. (Though once, an agent told me the UG window was based on Seattle time... i.e., an East coast flight at 6pm wouldn't process until 6pm in Seattle )

When we are on the same PNR and not using a companion ticket, the system processes the UG just fine at the 75K window (when U space is available).

Travero

Are qualifying fares purchased as a codeshare from a partner airline also eligible for immediate upgrades? For example, if I purchase a CX trip that includes a leg on AS metal with a CX codeshare flight number, and the AS leg books into a qualifying fare type (Y, S, B, M, H), is it eligible for instant upgrade if there is U space available?

I assume this is a fairly common situation, so I'd appreciate insight from anyone who has tried it.

Seattlenerd

Just had a similar companion upgrade issue related to other posts on this thread.

Spouse (no status) on the same reservation as me (MVP Gold) for a Thanksgiving week trip this year. Both show, on the web and on the app, as waitlisted for First for our return flight ever since we purchased the original tickets early this year. (We'd used U certs to upgrade for the outbound flight.)

But after OLCI for the return, neither of us show up on the app or web waitlist for those already checked into the flight. I call, and am told by a CSR that's an artifact of the new upgrade system. I'm told there are two parallel upgrade lists on two different systems that are merged behind the scenes, and the app and website can only pull from one of them to display who's on the list after OLCI, and it pulls from the "new" system that represents newer reservations. She says she sees us on the First waitlist, even if we can't see it. I nod and assume that's correct.

But when I get to the airport and ask again while checking bags, that agent says that only I, not my spouse, is actually on the waitlist now -- despite what the app and website showed for months prior to the OLCI window. She does ... something ... and both my spouse and I suddenly appear on the app and web versions of the post-check in waitlist.

Something is definitely screwy. A bad hand-off between systems after OLCI starts? Erroneous pre-OLCI displays of First waitlist status?

No idea, but I have three more reservations with a companion coming up between now and April, all booked prior to AS' announcement of the new upgrade policies. All show, right now, both of us on the upgrade list. But then, so did the problem reservation last month.

We'll see what happens.

seacarl

It sounds like things are apt to get really screwy after Dec 5 if new purchased tickets are processed by fare class and existing tickets by purchase date. So does a previously purchased ticket in a lower fare class trump a ticket bought after Dec 5 in a higher fare class? It's really not very clear how that will work... nor whether it will work as designed, given the mysterious nature of the lists...

PV_Premier

I'm actively avoiding buying post-12/5 tickets right now. I don't need anything imminently so I figure I'll wait it out and see how things are behaving for a couple of weeks at least.

dmodemd

I had this question to Missy and she answered it (see her 2nd more correct response) in her Q&A thread I believe.

Essentially, a pre-12/5 ticket booked at sub-instant-upgrade fare class will put your equivalent fare class at the highest of the non-instant-upgradable fare classes, so that anyone else who books after you will be below you even if you may have a very low fare class.

If you bought an instant upgrade fare class you would be put at the top of the fare classes on that list.

So, it is in your best interest to get those later bookings in now if you are going to be booking low fare classes.

Whether this actually works in the system is a whole 'nother question!!

Finkface

I just booked 6 trips post-12/5 last night as I wanted to get in on the 'old' system. Just me on the bookings so the companion issues shouldn't come into play but we'll see if/where I end up on the upgrade list at OLCI.

As a side note, I, too, had companion upgrade waitlist issues on a flight in November. Missy checked and assured me we were both (me Gold, Mr. Fink MVP, same PNR using a companion cert) on the w/l. At OLCI, we both showed up on the u/g list, me #1, Mr. Fink #3 . I called and the agent said she could see us on it and he was #2 on her list but it was still F6 U0 so she couldn't push it through. We fly our first leg (QX) and, when we get to SEA, we are now not on it at all and 1 upgrade (not us) has cleared already; still F5, U0. At about T-40, I check the website and we now have seats in F, albeit in different rows with the seat beside me still open (and about 13 still on the u/g w/l). Our names are still not on the list but the others with u/g seats are. I go to the podium and say I notice we have been upgraded and has she given out the BP's yet as if possible, could we get the two seats together. She had the whole stack of BP's sitting there and switches one so we are both in row 2. I ask why we aren't on the list and she has no idea. We never did show up on the app list or on the gate monitor (the rest of the w/l did) yet we both cleared. Bizarre. It must have been the companion issue.

Dieuwer

I wonder that too. I suppose we will find out soon, as some will probably buy a last minute ticket post 12/5 and fly before year end with someone who bought pre-12/5.

jackal

It's not as confusing if you know how SABRE works behind the scenes.

Right now, when you request to be added to the upgrade waitist, a second, hidden flight segment with a status code of RQ (request) is created in SABRE. When your respective waitlist window opens, a process converts those RQ segments into WL (waitlist) segments (basically, a standby waitlist that is specifically standing by for U class space, which is all an upgrade is). When the upgrade waitlist process actually runs, it then converts those WL segments into HK (Hold-Confirmed) segments, revalidates (resyncs) the PNR, and boom, your upgrade is confirmed.

Currently, the upgrade request processor just looks at when the RQ record was created and creates the WL segments in that order. For any RQ records created on or after 12/5, it will also consider the fare class when creating the WL records. It's pretty trivial to program in logic that just adds any RQs created on or before 12/4 to the WL first, followed by any created on or after 12/5.

I don't see any reason why it would get screwy. Anything booked on or before 12/4 will be added first, and everything booked on or after 12/5 will be added after that. So book by today, and you'll be upgraded before anyone who books tomorrow or later. Pretty simple.

Baze

Glad I booked my March trip yesterday.

jrl767

ditto

the first half of my year is generally DL-centric in order to meet their revenue requirement ($9k for Platinum), but it was tough to pass on $260 BWI-SAN-SEA and LAX-SEA-DCA trips with almost-completely-empty seat maps

dmodemd

It's just that after 12/5 it now has to insert the record into the list (rather than just append) based on fare class and also be sure to not insert above someone who booked prior to 12/5 on fare class alone, but if they are higher status, or an instant upgrade fare class, they do go in front. Not so trivial and I think subject to problems...

The prior system had a list prior to the 75K window opening with those booking instant upgradable fares, then had a 75K non-instant list, and then an MVPG/MVP list with simple appending logic on each list and when merging. I am not sure if that system is being used in any way anymore...

I think Alaska has/had a separate system (Mileage Plan - aware) that manages this list before sending it over to SABRE at the appropriate time, hence the tier promotion timing issues.

Finkface

Well I need to get a SEA-IAD in Sept but didn't book anything as the price was crazy. I was tempted to go for BWI or DCA but after googling the hellish transfer to IAD, I chickened out. I want it to be on AS metal so I only need 40K for Gold. Still mulling over what to do...

Mauibaby2008

So exciting !!

Got to the airport I was 5/7 on the upgrade list, didn't really think I was going to make it (only MVP at the moment)- refreshed and I'm in 3F !!! BWI-LAX is a long flight sooooo I couldn't be happier

Fwiw, there were 8 open F seats and all 8 passengers on the upgrade list made it 👍 No shady business today