Northwest WorldPerks (Discontinued Program) [closed to posting] - How do I get a free upgrade with my Elite status?

Hello All;
I have been travelling back and forth all year from the midwest to France. I've accumulated LOADS of miles and silver or gold status. I see that I'm somehow entitled to 'automatic free upgrades', but in all my flights (27 since last october), I've never had one.

I rarely fly business; normally my tickets are economy 'Y' class. Can I get upgraded on the AMS-DTW or AMS-MSP flights? Do I ask at the ticket counter when I check-in? Do I get my itinerary from the secretary and then call to request the upgrade?

My travel will be leveling off to 5 international flights/year since I am now living permanently in France, but I would sure like to learn how this works! 8-9 hours in economy is torture; even on the nice A330! I think I've been missing out on a great benefit!

Sorry for what may seem like an idiotic question for most of you experts!

Sheila

Hello, sheila-tolouse. Welcome to FlyerTalk. :)

NWA will give its elites (Silver, Gold, and Platinums) unlimited domestic upgrades for free. Domestic is usually defined as the Continential U.S., Alaska, Central America, and the Carribbean. These upgrades are performed automatically by the computer and you usually need to have no intervention to get one. Sometimes, though, an upgrade will not clear until your day of travel. In such a case, you may hear your name called while waiting in the boarding area, meaning your upgrade went through and they would like to give you a new boarding pass.

Unfortunately, even the highest tier of elites (Platinums) do not get any complimentary upgrades on international flights. Occasionally, you might be on a flight where coach is over-sold/booked. In that case, the gate agent (or even the computer a day in advance) will automatically upgrade you to business class so that they may put another paying passenger in your coach seat. But this is a semi-rare occurance and it is not something you can count on.

If you really want the upgrades, and you're traveling on "Full Y" fares, you should be able to upgrade using your WorldPerks miles at a rate of 15,000 miles each way. Not free, but if you really want an upgrade, not a terrible expenditure, either. It all depends on how you value your WorldPerks miles and how much you value an upgrade to biz.

Good luck. :)

I've accumulated LOADS of miles and silver or gold status.

Sheila,

Welcome to FT; Schmutz is stop on correct --- if you are flying on full "Y" economy, you would be eligible for very reasonable (IMHO) international mileage upgrades.

Must say, this is the first time I have seen a post on FT where the OP wasn't sure if they had silver or gold status... I'm certain after hanging around here for a few days, you'll be checking your account online at "least" on a daily basis.

Super! I fly back to the US again tomorrow (then back to France Tuesday!), so I'll call tonight and try to buy the upgrade.

I wish I could first see if I'm seated in economy next to a nice, quiet skinny person (like mé! :) ) or a big, stinky slob who spills into my seat before spending the miles, but I earn them fast enough that I don't think they'll be missed at all!

Thank you for the advice. I'll check later to see if I'm silver or gold, so far... it hasn't made even a tiny difference except that I get sent to the lounge for snacks and drinks between flights...don't know if that is because of my 'elite' status or because I look so terrible after constantly travelling that they pity me!

I'll stick around and learn some more,
Thank You Both
Sheila

Hello All;
I have been travelling back and forth all year from the midwest to France. I've accumulated LOADS of miles and silver or gold status. I see that I'm somehow entitled to 'automatic free upgrades', but in all my flights (27 since last october), I've never had one.

I rarely fly business; normally my tickets are economy 'Y' class. Can I get upgraded on the AMS-DTW or AMS-MSP flights? Do I ask at the ticket counter when I check-in? Do I get my itinerary from the secretary and then call to request the upgrade?

My travel will be leveling off to 5 international flights/year since I am now living permanently in France, but I would sure like to learn how this works! 8-9 hours in economy is torture; even on the nice A330! I think I've been missing out on a great benefit!

Sorry for what may seem like an idiotic question for most of you experts!

Sheila
If you have been travelling all year between midwest and France, you should have been a Platinum by now. Have all your flights been credited? SchmutzigMSP has already addressed your question eloquently. Your chances for these upgrades are the best if you are a platinum elite. To get your automatic upgrades to FC on US domestic flights, makes youre your world perks number is on your reservations, which I am assuming, has been the case as at least some of your flights have been credited. If all your 5 international flights are between France and Midwest, with Y or B fare basis, you will earn atleast 74100 EQM, just short of the requirement for Platinum. You can stretch that to over 75000 by creative routing.

Does spending my miles change my 'elite' status to something lower?

Does spending my miles change my 'elite' status to something lower?

No. Your elite status has nothing to do with how many miles you spend. The status is based on how many miles you fly in a calendar year.

Did the upgrade, it was 15,000 miles plus a 51 dollar 'french luxury tax' that NW now charges for the upgrade. The tax was kind of an ugly surprise! The lady said that UK and France upgrades both have this kind of fee.

If you have been travelling all year between midwest and France, you should have been a Platinum by now.

That was my thought, exactly.

There is one very nice benefit when travelling as a Platinum internationally, and that is lounge access. As a SkyTeam elite plus you can enjoy the comfort and amenities of a lounge rather than having to sit around the gate area. ^

Did the upgrade, it was 15,000 miles plus a 51 dollar 'french luxury tax' that NW now charges for the upgrade. The tax was kind of an ugly surprise! The lady said that UK and France upgrades both have this kind of fee.

Yep, this tax was adopted in March by 13 countries and took effect July 1. The money goes towards fighting AIDS and other diseases. Countries include France, Brazil, Britain, Cyprus, Luxembourg, and Norway. The tax for economy class is 1 euro on short European flights and 4 euros on longer flights. For business class, it's 10 euros within Europe and 40 euros on intercontinental trips.

-Will

Did the upgrade, it was 15,000 miles plus a 51 dollar 'french luxury tax' that NW now charges for the upgrade. The tax was kind of an ugly surprise! The lady said that UK and France upgrades both have this kind of fee.

Good work. The difference in your experience will be well worth what you invested in it. Bon voyage! ^

That was my thought, exactly.

There is one very nice benefit when travelling as a Platinum internationally, and that is lounge access. As a SkyTeam elite plus you can enjoy the comfort and amenities of a lounge rather than having to sit around the gate area. ^

Yogimax, the lounge ( wc ) access is free only for
PE or all SkyTeamElite ( i.e. SE ) ? I just paid a
bundle for WC membership and will be PE this year.

Yep, this tax was adopted in March by 13 countries and took effect July 1. The money goes towards fighting AIDS and other diseases. Countries include France, Brazil, Britain, Cyprus, Luxembourg, and Norway. The tax for economy class is 1 euro on short European flights and 4 euros on longer flights. For business class, it's 10 euros within Europe and 40 euros on intercontinental trips.

-Will

That's just lovely... forced "charity". Well, at least I know which countries to scratch off my "to visit" list :td: :rolleyes: