US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Any Slack Cut on "V" Fares and new SWU's?

Has anyone had any upgrade leeway on “V” transatlantic fares and ability to use the new SWU’s?

I've tried several tactics, and several types of upgrades on these fares. Never been successful. To be fair, the DM rules specifically say that these fares are not upgradeable transatlantic.

My advice, if you have status (GP, SP) be sweet and nice to the agent when you check in and you'll get a better seat in coach. I try to think of my "perk" for the trip to be the super-low fare.

[This message has been edited by bmolotsk (edited 01-24-2003).]

I'd like to add another question:

Has anyone had any success with upgrading V class tickets at the airport if seats are available in Envoy? My hopes are that somehow there are seats available and they let me pay the difference between my current V-class seat and the next class to get me the upgrade. I was too cheap to pay for the $100 to get upgradeable fare unless I could confirm 1st (which you can't do without miles). I would be willing to pay the 100 bones if the could confirm me in Envoy at the airport.

Another note to this: I was told by the res agent that they could upgrade the domestic portion of the V-class ticket if seats were available in first on the day of travel (I'm CP). The transatlantic portion was the only portion that wasn't upgradeable.

In my experience, at least in PHL you won't find any willingness to bend the rules. You're stuck in the back with a V fare. However, be prepared to pony up WAY more than $100 to buy up to an upgradeable fare at the airport. That would be a $200 change fee (current intl. change fee, check your fare regs.), even when buying up to a more expensive fare, plus the difference between what you paid and the lowest available upgradeable fare for that day. Unless you're very lucky, that would be a B or M fare. Several hundred $$$ at least. Very frustrating. I will never buy a V fare again... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

dupe, sorry

[This message has been edited by lt1GM (edited 01-24-2003).]

My boss is a freshly minted Silver. He managed to upgrade CLT to FRA on a V fare with one of his new DMUPSYS02's. Either the agent didn't notice the fare class or Envoy was so empty they didn't care. On the way back was a different matter. The agents in Europe seem to be a little more detail oriented, so he was turned down. He was disappointed, but I told him not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and to make sure he went at least Q class in the future.
Flying CLT to AMS (thru PHL) and then returning on the 25th and 30th Dec, it was a breeze upgrading with DMUPSYS02 on a Q fare.
An additional suggestion to all; Make sure you have your preferred card handy when flying out of AMS. At the final security check (at the gate) they asked me If I was a preferred flyer (Dec 30th), when I responded yes, he asked to see my preferred card. Probably prevented a strip search for me, I didn't shave that day and looked a bit ragged. :-)

Let's just say that at FRA, they are detailed oriented. I agree with all of your observations.

It goes without saying, the only reason we're discussing this is that upgradable fares are substantially higher than the V fares this year. I've been pricing out a couple of winter Europe itineraries, and the upgradable fares are nearly twice the lowest V fare.

Last year it was often only a $10 to $100 difference.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ATC:
It goes without saying, the only reason we're discussing this is that upgradable fares are substantially higher than the V fares this year. I've been pricing out a couple of winter Europe itineraries, and the upgradable fares are nearly twice the lowest V fare. </font>

On the CLT-LGW route that I keep an eye on with a Friday departure/Sunday return upgradeable tickets are actually cheaper now than they have been for a while (just over $500 R/T with taxes) ...

I second that about FRA. I was returning earlier this month. And I had accidentally given my companion SWU, and the actually reopened the front door to come down on the plane and get the correct SWU.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ATC:
It goes without saying, the only reason we're discussing this is that upgradable fares are substantially higher than the V fares this year. I've been pricing out a couple of winter Europe itineraries, and the upgradable fares are nearly twice the lowest V fare.

Last year it was often only a $10 to $100 difference. </font>

My Q class to FRA on Thursday (I got 4G on the way over) was $125 more than V. Mrs. Rich is sitting in 12A on her way over in V class as I type. No slack on a Gold with an upgrade cert and open seats in Envoy.