Air New Zealand Air Points - Upgrades clearance time for GE*

I know this might have been covered but could not find it. As a Gold Elite I have been unable to have a upgrade clear approximately 6 weeks before I fly. The frustrating part for me was the agent admitting there was "well over half" of the cabin available. I understand that they want to reserve these seats for paying customers. In my opinion they should not communicate that as GE* you can get these requests cleared well in advance when this is not as simple as it seems. I know upgrades have to be cleared into a certain booking class but I feel it is a little misleading in the way they present it as a benefit.From reading between the lines and from what she told me they will put the request back through the system 3 days before the flight. She also commented that the decision is not made at a airpoints level but by the revenue department.
What have you others found to be the "norm" for GE* upgrade request clearing.
Am I just being ungrateful?

In my experience a complimentary status upgrade request (supported by evouchers) sits in the queue until either it clears or until the flight. There is no need to put the request back.

Over time revenue management continually adjust inventory based on their expectations of load. Once inventory has become available (and within window for upgrades to clear - not relevant for gold elite but is relevant for gold and silver) any request in the queue should clear. This can happen at any time.

On some flights upgrades clear easily at time of booking. Others may clear after a period of weeks or months. Others not until close to departure, or not at all. I've had some complimentary status upgrade vouchers expire unused before, and so now try to use them up early in the year (or use them on short haul later in the year) so as to at least get something for them instead of nothing.

Much as I'd like to always use them for USA/UK flights to get the best benefit (and several years ago this was fairly easy to get), the reality is loads in premium cabins are very high on some routes and I have to be lucky to use the upgrade on these prime routes.

Thanks Kiwi,
The upgrade request is for a AKL-LAX so I understand.
My main frustration was related to the "carrot" of 12 month clearance.
As things get tighter and tighter I imagine the availability ahead of time my get shorter and shorter

When is your flight for? Midweek has better chance than early/late in the week. But if your flight has been downgraded from 747 to 777 then obviously less chance of clearing.

As the impact of the many price increases for business class are filtering through, I am expecting overall upgrade/award availability to improve over what it has been the past couple of years.

Departure is Oct 15th and return is 29th Oct ex LAX.

One of things I was wondering if the price of Business may decrease as airlines try to grab the PE customer who is willing to pay a extra $1000 as opposed to an extra $3000.

Thanks for all your insight, your generosity is what makes this forum work.

P.S I booked in PE simply to upgrade

my experience on several ocassions over the last year for GE has been that the flights have cleared at the airport, have struck some nice people at GE smales farm and they have tried all to clear seats but revenue managment is king , i was offered a cfmd upgrade to yvr for 1040 poiinst i think it was , turned iot down thinking i could use a comp, with so many seats but no way, in the ned i got it in the end. I thnk KF is right the spaces are opening up and ceratinly at this time of year. i am going to eurpoe in nov but will still go through HKG with 747 as much better chances of up to BP and seats in PE on 747 SO MUCH better that 777 PE , not really the game at all! again as KF says the 777 makes it so much harder as well. I plan all i can to use 747 unless you are paying the BP seat. Problem for me is YVR is a bugger always no upgrades...you have to wit fingers crossed each time.
good luck

Well said Rich!!

I am quite worried about the retirement of the 747's..... rumours abound....:rolleyes:

Waiting on an u/g to clear for today's flight. Despite 7 free seats it still hasn't cleared :(

Good Luck!!!!^

It did clear eventually. I'm suprised they didn't pre-clear some requests given the seat availability.

Waiting on an u/g to clear for today's flight. Despite 7 free seats it still hasn't cleared :(

may i ask which program u use to determine empty seast , i have used the NZ Business Direct site and then the KVS plat site and i am not sure whcih is more accurtate as to seat avail.:confused:

Actually this was from the check in agent who looked it up for me.

Upgrade from PE to business using a *E cert cleared on Saturday 11th for HKG-AKL flight on Tuesday 14th. This is the first upgrade I've had pre-clear for quite a while I think (first longhaul since 2006, perhaps).

New e-ticket mailed and I was able to select my seat online: curiously only 2 seats available on the upper deck, and 3 seats (1A, 1K, 3K) available in Zone A. I'm now happily in 1K again.

Flight has been showing C4D4J7Z4 for about a month. I put the upgrade request in on 1st Oct as soon as my *E certs came through.

*E upgrades to Business Premier clear when there is R inventory. For Economy -> Premium Economy is it reliant on O availability or is there no external bucket for these and they are done by some internal system?

I too watch the R inventory but just recently flight was showing at least 10 empty seats out of HKG-LHR and as GE was hoping they would approve the upgrade so I could chose my seat rather than juggle things at the airport. Phoned AirNZ from HKG the day before but unfortunately still Sun night in NZ and the person I spoke to could not do anything but advised waiting until the airport/gate - the usual.(The no. I use to ph from outside NZ is (64)9375028 don't know how to access the GE line from out of the country but presumably they can see status when you ph) However when checked in on HKG island on the Mon am (I always use the airport express ) was told upgrade approved and when I specifically asked for a seat in the forward cabin got my preference and scored 4A.
I just feel when it is wide open like that they could approve the upgrade earlier. I counted 8 empty seats downstairs in biz, prem econ looked full.

I too watch the R inventory but just recently flight was showing at least 10 empty seats out of HKG-LHR and as GE was hoping they would approve the upgrade so I could chose my seat rather than juggle things at the airport. Phoned AirNZ from HKG the day before but unfortunately still Sun night in NZ and the person I spoke to could not do anything but advised waiting until the airport/gate - the usual.(The no. I use to ph from outside NZ is (64)9375028 don't know how to access the GE line from out of the country but presumably they can see status when you ph) However when checked in on HKG island on the Mon am (I always use the airport express ) was told upgrade approved and when I specifically asked for a seat in the forward cabin got my preference and scored 4A.
I just feel when it is wide open like that they could approve the upgrade earlier. I counted 8 empty seats downstairs in biz, prem econ looked full.

this experience is so normal i often wonder why i bother to call, they could have ataped message , well thats been my experiecne of the last year and i really wanted ONE partic flight and they hung me on the line to dry , i truly beleiove that when these flights are wide open they would engender so much brand lyalty by upping GE they would be surprised.:(

On a recent flight back from SFO had a long discussion with the concierge about this specific point. R class is nearly impossible to find. Could NZ look to open up Z class for confirmed upgrades for Elites? This would endear far more loyalty to them from high value clients.

But you can see why they do not. Why would you pay full fare (or for a confirmed upgrade at the ridiculous rates) for something you could get for substantially less?

Took me a while to find this thread again.

A couple of recent data points as *E:

744 HKG-AKL Y->PE upgrade cleared immediately on request of upgrade, which was requested day of departure.
744 AKL-HKG Y->PE upgrade cleared at checkin, with upgrade requested 5 days prior.

744 HKG-LHR Y->PE upgrade cleared at the gate for 2x *E. Both *E requested upgrade at time of booking (about 2.5 months before the flight). One upgrade was offered at checkin; was declined unless they could confirm both... which was confirmed at the gate, and managed to get two seats together.
772 LHR-LAX PE->BP upgrade cleared within 24 hours of booking for one *E, the other *E cleared at checkin. Both upgrades requested at the same time, both on the same PNR. Flights booked about 2.5 months before departure.
744 LAX-LHR Y->BP upgrade cleared at checkin for both *E, upgrade requested at booking time (2.5 months before departure).
772 LHR-HKG Y->BP upgrade cleared within 24 hours of booking for one *E, the other *E cleared at checkin. Both upgrades requested at the same time, both on the same PNR. Flights booked about 2.5 months before departure.

So, anecdotally, it seems easier to clear upgrades at the moment - including some in advance. On AKL-HKG-LHR, PE and biz were full. LHR-LAX-LHR-HKG had empty seats in PE and biz.

Given less premium demand at the moment it should be easier to clear u/gs.

Applied for 2 sector upgrades using complimentary vouchers several months ago. PE to biz when flying LHR-LAX-AKL. A few days later saw when viewing the booking on myairnz that the first sector had changed to a seat in biz at the front of the 747. Interestingly my partner got both sectors showing straight away with the upgrades into biz but then the second sector reverted back to PE a week later with loss of her previous PE seat upstairs! Wished I had printed a screen shot so could have sent it to AirNZ. Last week upgrade cleared for the second sector (flight in about 3 weeks) but different seat nos. for second leg than first leg (not that I am complaining!) - again saw this on myairnz when viewing the booking. Is this how others find out or do you receive an email or wait to check in to find out?

Last week upgrade cleared for the second sector (flight in about 3 weeks) but different seat nos. for second leg than first leg (not that I am complaining!) - again saw this on myairnz when viewing the booking. Is this how others find out or do you receive an email or wait to check in to find out?
Usually, but not always, you will get a revised e-Ticket mailed to you when the upgrade clears. Otherwise, yes, I've noticed because my seat has changed.

AKL-YVR PE->BP UG Booking submitted early Jan with a June travel date has yet to clear for me as a *GE :(

In March AKL-HKG PE-Biz requested on an E cert did not clear at all. HKG-LHR PE-Biz on Airpoints did clear, but not until I got off the flight in HKG - could not be confirmed in AKL. Never got the non-cleared certificate credited back :(

Great news to hear it might get easier; just not my recent experience.

who or what prompts the new email ticketing confirming the upgrade?- has never happened to me. Does it depend on how you do your ticketing eg on line or thru travel agent or AirNZ travel centre?

I've also never had an email confirming an u/g, and I have mix of online (airnz website), TA, air nz ticketing.

I've also never had an email confirming an u/g, and I have mix of online (airnz website), TA, air nz ticketing.
I suspect it comes down to clearance time - if it's cleared by inventory management rather than "airport control", I have received an e-Ticket reissue. This is when the upgrade clears >24h from departure.

The other trick seems to be that I've only had this when I've booked directly with the airline, either through the website or Travelcentre (or Holidays or whatever the name is now). Tickets issued by the corporate TA have not had a reissued e-Ticket, and that may be because the PNR doesn't contain my email address.

That said, I recently had a booking (but not ticketed) with the corporate TA that included a MEL-AKL sector that I decided to upgrade online. The upgrade cleared immediately, and by the time the TA issued the tickets the itinerary and receipt had been updated to reflect business class.

When I've gone for confirmed upgrades to BP, after booking PE, the e-ticket was re-issued.
The booking was on Air NZ web site and ringing AirPoints to ensure I could get a confirmed upgrade on the flights I wanted (eg AKL-LAX about 4 weeks ago).

In March AKL-HKG PE-Biz requested on an E cert did not clear at all. HKG-LHR PE-Biz on Airpoints did clear, but not until I got off the flight in HKG - could not be confirmed in AKL. Never got the non-cleared certificate credited back :(

It's likely you didn't get UG credited back as at time of travel it had expired, meaning you applied the UG when it was valid but took the chance of applying it for a flight outside of a year since you had received the UG.

I suspect it comes down to clearance time - if it's cleared by inventory management rather than "airport control", I have received an e-Ticket reissue. This is when the upgrade clears >24h from departure.


It is not clearance time, it is simply the way it was booked.
If through TA, then the TA generally calls the airline and if they can confirm the upgrade, the airline will simply 'reloc' (which allows airline to add/delete segments without entering phone details into agent booking), then add new ug segment, re-enter ug details/certificates, then cancel old flight.
The booking is then passed back to agent and it's up to them to either tell pax or email after revalidating (not reissuing) ticket.
Note to remember - don't fret if confirmation is not received from agent as they do not need to revalidate ticket if all details are in the booking.

If it is booked online and ug is confirmed from a queue, the same process is followed but rather than hand back to agent, the premium consultant simply revalidates ticket and sends out new confirmation.

Hope this helps.

who or what prompts the new email ticketing confirming the upgrade?- has never happened to me. Does it depend on how you do your ticketing eg on line or thru travel agent or AirNZ travel centre?

It is simply the way it was booked, that's all.
If through TA, then the TA generally calls the airline and if they can confirm the upgrade, the airline will simply 'reloc' (which allows airline to add/delete segments without entering phone details into agent booking), then add new ug segment, re-enter ug details/certificates, then cancel old flight.
The booking is then passed back to agent and it's up to them to either tell pax or email after revalidating (not reissuing) ticket.
Note to remember - don't fret if confirmation is not received from agent as they do not need to revalidate ticket if all details are in the booking.

If it is booked online and ug is confirmed from a queue, the same process is followed but rather than hand back to agent, the premium consultant simply revalidates ticket and sends out new confirmation.

Hope this helps.

It is not clearance time, it is simply the way it was booked.
[...]
If it is booked online and ug is confirmed from a queue, the same process is followed but rather than hand back to agent, the premium consultant simply revalidates ticket and sends out new confirmation.
Thanks, 77Wguy for the insight. I guess then either the premium consultants don't always do it, because the only consistent factor I can find is when the clearance occurs >24 hours out I have received a new eticket, regardless of the booking mechanism.

Thanks, 77Wguy for the insight. I guess then either the premium consultants don't always do it, because the only consistent factor I can find is when the clearance occurs >24 hours out I have received a new eticket, regardless of the booking mechanism.

I've sometimes received a new ticket also. Perhaps it depends on whether the flight being upgraded is first, middle or last leg on the itinerary?

Thanks, 77Wguy for the insight. I guess then either the premium consultants don't always do it, because the only consistent factor I can find is when the clearance occurs >24 hours out I have received a new eticket, regardless of the booking mechanism.

If within 24 hours then a prem consultant is able to go ahead and re-validate the ticket, BUT, they 'shouldn't' be sending out an e-ticket confirmation, as this only confuses things later on down the track if the passenger does need to go back to the agent for any last minute amendments.
Have you always received an 'e-ticket' or could it sometimes have been a PLI (Plain language itinerary)?
The latter is just a simple itin rundown that shows route, time, travel classes etc, and is usually sent out by a premium consultant to a GE or G member on request once an upgrade has been confirmed.

I've sometimes received a new ticket also. Perhaps it depends on whether the flight being upgraded is first, middle or last leg on the itinerary?

From experience alot of agents don't bother to send confirmation once the ug is confirmed and the passenger is left with no idea, they'll only find out if they ring the agent direct or in some cases, the airline.
It shouldn't matter where the flight in question is in the itinerary, rule of thumb is, if it's an agent booking, the airline does all possible to leave it alone, or add segment, and get the hell out of there...:eek:
This is applied very loosely as you can imagine.

If within 24 hours then a prem consultant is able to go ahead and re-validate the ticket, BUT, they 'shouldn't' be sending out an e-ticket confirmation, as this only confuses things later on down the track if the passenger does need to go back to the agent for any last minute amendments.
Have you always received an 'e-ticket' or could it sometimes have been a PLI (Plain language itinerary)?
The latter is just a simple itin rundown that shows route, time, travel classes etc, and is usually sent out by a premium consultant to a GE or G member on request once an upgrade has been confirmed.
It's always happened >24 hours from departure, and it's been a new e-Ticket PDF reflecting "Business Saver" or whatever as the outbound fare.

I received a PLI once, 4 or 5 years ago.

It's always happened >24 hours from departure, and it's been a new e-Ticket PDF reflecting "Business Saver" or whatever as the outbound fare.

I received a PLI once, 4 or 5 years ago.

Ok, so in your case then the ticket has been revalidated, and whoever has been doing the queue in the premium team has noted the loadings and can see R class, which route management would have released because they know they won't sell 10 business seats (for example) in the next 24 hours.
If it is an agent booking, then you are dealing with some of the very few agents who take the time to reval the ticket and send a new confirmation out, believe me, none of them want to do it.

PLI's are horrible, and most top tier flyers, even though a PLI is sufficient, expect an e-ticket these days.

I have had instant upgrade clearance with an online booking. The request was made four days before the flights, and when i refreshed the screen about my booking I was suddenly forward a cabin. The later flight requests remain, but I figure since there was plenty of cabin space on both flights, I am Gold Elite (till 30 June :( ) that it was easy.

Admittedly it has never cleared so quickly before, last time on NZ (18 months ago) with an upgrade it was at the gate!

Flying out on NZ2 tonight (7 Oct) having hit GE as of 1 Oct and noticed on Monday night that I had "moved forward"..

First time I have noticed an upgrade clearing in advance of being at the airport/in the Lounge/at the gate... may just be coincidence.