MilesBuzz! - What airlines let non-elites upgrade any fare at the gate?

Subject says it all.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by johnep1:
Subject says it all.</font>

Alaska allows paid upgrades from any published fare for non elites on the day of flight.

So does AirTran. Any fare can upgrade at check in for either $35 or $50 per segment, depending on length of flight. I loved buying those $49 one-way fares from CAK to LGA, and then upgrading for $35 at the airport.

I understand HP has a similar program with either 3 or 4 different prices, depending on the length of the flight.

I've even heard a rumor that NW is trying it on the RJ85 fligths that Mesaba flies for them. But I always get my upgrade on NW, so it's never an issue....

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Proud to be CO free!

I've seen NW sell upgrades for DTW-PDX flights when they don't have enough Elites on-board. They sold them (I think) for 75.00 at the gate on a first-come first servce basis - they just announce it at the gate when they have seats available. I wonder if you get your fare-class changed when you buy these tickets and if you get the EQM bonus - I'm an elite with them, so as long as I maintain status, I should never find have to find out firsthand.

HP does it at the gate, on a space available basis. It is $50 for &lt;500 miles flight length, $100 for 500-1000, and $150 for &gt;1000 miles and $250 for coast to coast...

Non-elites can upgrade at the gate (or up to 24 hours in advance) using purchased 500 mile certificates on United.

You can buy a set of four for $325. You can upgrade anywhere in the US, Hawaii and Carribean plus some other places.

Personally, I think its cheaper and better to use miles if you are going to upgrade with UA since they are confirmable in advance and are not dependent on distance.

http://www.americawest.com/services/ticketingoptions/sv_upgrades.htm

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">America West invites you to Go First Class. Next time you travel on America West, you may upgrade your coach ticket to a first class ticket on the day of travel.

This service will be available 4 hours before the original departure time, and up to 30 minutes prior to departure for all paid fares, based on first class seat availability. The upgrade fee is mileage based and calculated between the cities in your reservation. </font>Cost is $50-$250 depending on distance.

CO allows upgrades to and from HNL for I believe $400, the fee is diso****ed for elites but anyone can do it. Same day of travel, space avilable.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by G2:
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http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JY4D:
Non-elites can upgrade at the gate (or up to 24 hours in advance) using purchased 500 mile certificates on United.

You can buy a set of four for $325. You can upgrade anywhere in the US, Hawaii and Carribean plus some other places.

Personally, I think its cheaper and better to use miles if you are going to upgrade with UA since they are confirmable in advance and are not dependent on distance.</font>

I am pretty sure that non-elites can only do this if flying full fare (Y, and maybe M, B and H). Ditto for American. This hardly ever applies to anyone paying their own money for a ticket (and it's pretty rare for business travel too)!

Okay.. now can anyone explain to me why all airlines don't do this? I mean.. cash in hand and they know you're not going to drink that much booze etc..

We've all seen plenty of empty FC seats, and I've often wondered why they didn't just sell the upgrade a few hours before the flight.

What piece of the picture am I missing? Is it that they think all business pax will stop buying business and take their chances?

Regards,
-Bouncer-

Delta offers upgrades to anyone willing to pay if there are seats open. Many times, there are (especially on 757s)

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Bouncer:
Okay.. now can anyone explain to me why all airlines don't do this? I mean.. cash in hand and they know you're not going to drink that much booze etc..
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They're saving the seats in case some fellow employees (taking that flight for free) show up just before departure time! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RichardInSF:
I am pretty sure that non-elites can only do this if flying full fare (Y, and maybe M, B and H). Ditto for American. This hardly ever applies to anyone paying their own money for a ticket (and it's pretty rare for business travel too)!</font>

They changed the policy recently when the price went up to $325 from $200. Personally, I've never purchased the upgrades as a non-elite but I did notice a change in the terms and conditions at the following link:
http://www.united.com/page/article/1,,50027,00.html

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RichardInSF:
I am pretty sure that non-elites can only do this if flying full fare (Y, and maybe M, B and H). Ditto for American. This hardly ever applies to anyone paying their own money for a ticket (and it's pretty rare for business travel too)!</font>

The applicable fares to upgrade

Upgradeable Fares: This upgrade may be used on United Business (C, D) and United Economy (Y, B, M, H, Q, V, W, S, L, T, K) in Region 1, except when the terms and conditions of sale state that the fare is not eligible for upgrades.
Some internet sites, such as Priceline and Hotwire, issue tickets that are not upgradeable. Please check with your internet site for terms and conditions.
Non-Upgradeable Fares: This upgrade may not be used on any booking class not specifically listed as upgradeable fares, or on any Mileage Plus® award ticket.


As to why the airlines don't all do it, I think it's because they want to keep those seats available as a perk for their most frequent flyers, figuring it's way better business to give them away to keep a regular customer happy, then it is to take a few dollars from somebody you may never see again.

I haven't been on a plane in ages that had an empty first class or business class seat, and many many times I've been upgraded to the front without the exchange of miles, certificates, or money. To me, it's a great incentive to keep booking with them, knowing that there is a fairly decent chance of getting bumped up at the counter.

I stand corrected, thanks all! I'm a UA 1k who does most of my miles internationally, so I never need to buy 500 milers, they are always expiring on me. Have bought them on AA though, and on those aircraft that still have "more room throughout coach," it is unclear if it is worth paying the now (rather large) extra fee.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RichardInSF:
They're saving the seats in case some fellow employees (taking that flight for free) show up just before departure time! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>

Ah-h-h-h, so you're familiar with Air Canada I see! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif