The ULTIMATE BA Upgrade Guide
Welcome to the new 'ULTIMATE BA Upgrade Guide'. This is designed to be catch-all FAQ about the dreaded U-word which so many people seem to covet! It is based on the original
ULTIMATE thread, which, after running for several years, became rather unwieldy. This thread is locked as a 'master' FAQ. Please use this thread:
ULTIMATE BA Upgrade Discussion/Experiences Thread
for all discussions/new questions/'success' stories you wish to share about your experiences. Thanks to all the FTers who have contributed their wisdom and ideas to this (and the original) thread over the years to get the information this far
How do I upgrade on BA?
There are several options:
(1) Miles for Upgrade
(2) Gold Upgrade Vouchers
(3) Paid upgrade through ba.com in advance
(4) Paid upgrade at the airport/check-in (where offered - e.g. ex-LGW only on shorthaul routes to Club Europe for £59, ex-LGW only for £150 from World Traveller to World Traveller plus, or more typically at US stations and certain other overseas stations such as HKG, for all cabins at various prices)
(5) Paid upgrade on-board (if space and catering are available) by asking the CSD -
NOTE: as of late 2008 this option is suspended and NOT AVAILABLE so please don't ask CSDs for this currently. We'll amend the guide if this is changed in future
All of these are better dealt with in the
ULTIMATE BA Guide. This thread specifically relates to the elusive 'OpUp' or 'Operational Upgrade' - i.e. the situation which delights every frequent flyer; the free move from where you're meant to be sitting to a better cabin
British Airways does
not have the same upgrade policy as most US carriers. BA tend to try and keep their premium cabins just that – premium. There are no booklets of vouchers for elites, no upgrade coupons and nothing to trade on Coupon Connection. Keep in mind that a Club World or First ticket on longhaul BA costs between $2000 and $12000 - most of the people in a premium cabin will have paid for their seat and BA want to protect this revenue. However, every now and then, there will be a need to upgrade people for free - typically 'Due to Oversales', e.g. World Traveller is oversold, so they move people to free seats in World Traveller Plus. If World Traveller Plus is then oversold, they will move people from there to Club World. And finally, if Club World is then oversold and there's space in First, a few lucky souls will be moved from Club World to the First.
How do BA process their operational upgrades?
If and when BA decides to do operational upgrades they are normally processed before ('pre flight upgrades' or PFUGs) or during check-in by the backroom staff - very rarely by the desk staff. There are no published written rules on operational upgrades but generally the process works by selecting passengers off the manifest. BA will always try to select their own elite members first. The order of operational upgrades will probably look something like this:
Premier (invitation only elite level)
Gold and/or Full Fare paying passengers
Silver
oneworld Emerald
oneworld Sapphire
Blue
Other
Note there are always exceptions. The whole point is, OpUps arise due to some operational anomaly - there will be anomalies within the anomaly too
It is not unheard of (though it is rare) for a Blue (or even a non BAEC member) to get an OpUp and a Gold not to, if that is what helps the backroom staff out of a jam in a split-second decision to get an aircraft departing on time.
Yeah, but surely if I put on a suit I'll end up in F?
Hardly. The oft-cited garbage 'rules' of dressing nicely and putting on a smile will not work. Although it naturally never hurts to be prepared to sit in a premium cabin and be polite to the check-in staff as always. Many anecdotal tales from frequent BA travellers here will attest to being upgraded to J or even F whilst unshaved and decked out in scruffy jeans.
Should I ask at check-in, then?
The first of many questions where you'll receive divided answers. Some people say they have success politely inquiring at check-in. Many check-in staff say they get asked this so many times a day they'll certainly
not upgrade you if you ask. One thing most people agree on: don’t ever try the “Do you know who I am?!” routine or start to demand anything based on BA or any other
oneworld status, it won’t help but will almost certainly hinder your chances.
What about OLCI? Should I? Does not doing it increase my chances of an OpUp?
Another one people are divided on. Some swear that by turning up at the airport at the last minute you'll be guaranteed an upgrade. Most sensible people realise that by not using OLCI the guarantee you'll have is that when you're not upgraded, you're stuck in a rubbish seat in the cabin you should rightly be in! Others say OLCI actually increases your chances because the backroom staff can see you checked in and know you're planning on joining the flight, so they can upgrade you early if needed.
The only official word on this was
a thread started by BA Executive Club which says that out of LHR Terminal 5 only, OLCI will actually increase your chances if OpUps are required.
What else hinders my chances of an upgrade?
Special meals and not being a lone traveller for a start. Special meals because the crew aren't allowed to serve you meals from a lower class - and BA likely won't have an expensive special meal for the upgraded class just sitting ready to go. It's far easier for them to simply upgrade someone with no SPML request.
People travelling together are often harder to upgrade and re-accommodate together. Simply to make their lives easier, backroom staff often find it most expedient to move passengers travelling alone.
As always, there are exceptions to both of these ‘on the day’ which are borne out by anecdotal evidence here, but in general this is true.
OK, I still don't get it, distil it down please!
Here are some rules and advice:
(1) There are no hard and fast rules!
(2) An OpUp is a
gift and a
nice surprise -
not a God-given right.
(3) If you go expecting an OpUp, you'll likely be disappointed. So don’t.
(4) There is virtually nothing you can do (except attaining status on BA) to easily influence your chances of an OpUp. Remember if there’s no reason to move you (e.g. the flight is not oversold in your cabin), they won’t.
(5) Proceed to the airport expecting you'll be where you should be and plan to travel there - i.e. secure the best seat at OLCI for the most comfortable journey in your ticketed cabin.
(6) Don't worry about what you're wearing - dress to be comfortable on the flight, whatever cabin you end up in.
(7) Always be polite to the check-in and lounge staff. It won't help your chances, but it could hurt them if you don’t! And also you just should anyway
(8) Get Gold or Silver status on BA, or failing that,
oneworld status!
So there’s really no sure-fire way of me getting an upgrade, then?
Yes, there is – pay for the cabin you want to travel in from the outset!
Score! I actually got an OpUp, aren't I lucky BA gave me this lovely gift today? Now, can I get in the lounge?
It depends. At LHR Terminal 5 the lounges are now large enough that the new policy IS to offer the equivalent lounge access for the new cabin – so if you are upgraded to First, you may use the Concorde Room. However, at other terminals and stations the old policy is in force still – i.e., “in theory, no”. In these cases, your lounge access should be per your original entitlement either through the original ticket (e.g. if you were originally in J and got upgraded do F, you'd have Terraces access) and/or
oneworld status.
Do they do more than one class? Has anyone ever had a Y to F?!
Upgrades are a lucky rarity in the main. Upgrades of more than one class are even rarer. As operational quirks, of course they happen sometimes - but it's really very uncommon. There is indeed anecdotal evidence of the 'ultimate' Y to F upgrade happening to some people. See the discussion thread(s) mentioned above.
OK, I flew my upgrade and got points and miles for my original class – what gives?
How much more do you want?! The upgrade itself should be gift enough
Which is a roundabout way of saying, yes, on OpUps your points and miles should post based on your original ticket eligibility – although your BA statement should usually reflect the upgrade where the flown cabin is listed (e.g. it will say J/T if you were on a T class World Traveller Plus fare but got OpUp’d to Club World, instead of W/T which is what it would be had you flown in World Traveller Plus as planned. In both cases, World Traveller Plus points and miles should be awarded.)
I’m <insert tier> and never get upgraded – why?
That’s life. If you’re Blue, that’s hardly a shock! If you’re Gold now and think you used to get more Upgrades as a Silver, consider your travel pattern – when you were Silver, were you mostly flying WT+ and getting OpUps to J? But as a Gold, you’re mostly in J already? If so, don’t be surprised…with only 14-17 seats in F, it’s much less likely to get upgraded from J! Alternatively, maybe you’re just flying on flights which aren’t so busy and don’t warrant OpUps. As above, an OpUp is a lucky surprise – not a right or something BA give out to members in certain quantities each year.
What about the über-freebie – what are the chances of being upgraded on an award ticket, then?
Although passengers on expensive tickets should fare (ho ho!) better on the ‘potential’ list as outlined above, in this world of exceptions there are always exceptions! Many here have reported travelling on WT+ tickets MFU’d to Club World, only to find themselves being gratefully seated in First for the flight. This scenario seems most common because most people here will not redeem (or MFU) to less than Club World in general anyway. As with all the back room black magic, status is likely to play a big part too here. In short: it can happen, it does happen, it’s probably less likely than on paid tickets…but regardless there is still no way to ‘predict’ it or quantify an actual ‘likelihood’.
