RichL

Just checked via the app and it says I require 0 miles by March 2016 (yes) to reach gold - so that means I've got it or will get it in 2016?

I got silver and earned 32000 tier miles Feb and March 2014 right and I'll earn 36000 tier miles this Feb and March 2015 inclusive, not 36000 each month I must add

eternaltransit

Your tier status will update when you have flown the required flights and the tier miles are actually credited to your account - I would assume that would be sometime around March? Or it's been manually updated to give you a goodwill gesture of Gold next month. Considering you earned 32000 in Feb 2014 and at the end of March 2015 you will have 36000 (so a net 4000) miles, you will be Gold by then at the latest - which will then "lock in" that gold status for the following 12 months regardless of earnings/expiring tier miles.

RichL

Thanks for explaining that was helpful.

evilbrian

Does anyone know where I can find a chart listing how many EK miles I need to use to get a JAL award? Mountains of info out there about doing the opposite, but nothing in regards to this that I can find.

UPDATE: Solved - finally found it on the EK website.
http://www.emirates.com/english/skyw...-airlines.aspx

eternaltransit

http://www.emirates.com/english/skyw...-airlines.aspx

evilbrian

Thanks mate - looks like I found it at about the same time as you posted. Redemption rates don't look too bad at all.

eternaltransit

Bit of a hassle to redeem though - have to give a date manually via a form on their website, then an agent has to go and check availability then confirm (and by then it might have disappeared). Not sure if any surcharges are levied either!

Wolf359

Can I upgrade just one leg of my trip during OLCI on a Saver fare?

ft101

Yes, you can upgrade one leg.

MikeFly

I"m currently holding an award ticket booked in J as F award space is not available. It is a one way booking so it is booked in the Flex award category. How close to departure can I expect to be able to change the ticket to F if it becomes available? If it matters the ticketed travel originates in DXB

Thanks in advance for any advice!

eternaltransit

If you give the call center a call when you find F award space (either through Expertflyer or a search), they will be able to cancel your J award and the miles will reappear in your account instantly - the agent can then use those miles to issue a new F award ticket.

However, the taxes (or any cash you used to pay the surcharges) will take one or two weeks to be refunded and needs to go through a different process. Once your initial J ticket is cancelled, you should receive an email confirming this and an EMD receipt for the cancellation. Then go to the EK website and Contact Us -> Refunds, input your old cancelled ticket number/booking reference and in the comments give them the emd number and then in a couple of weeks the money should be refunded to your card.

MikeFly

Thanks for the quick reply EternalTransit.

Part of my question was more along the lines of will they still release seats up until the day of departure for award redemption? For example if there are free seats in F 4 hours before departure would they release those to award space?

My colleague is in J on EK 51 next Wednesday and there is still revenue space in F; I'm trying to get Z for him as I'm not downgrading! Worst case scenario we meet back at the biz bar.

I do have an alert set at EF.

Thanks again for your advice.

eternaltransit

I think it depends on the route and the loads - if on the day Y is overbooked and J is nearly full so that they will have to put people from J into F (or similarly J is overbooked) they won't open up redemption space. If the flight is wide open, you can use your miles at the check in desk to upgrade him on a space-available basis. So even if Z is not open, once it moves to airport control, they would love to take your miles or cash off you.

Do you have status with EK? If you do, then on a space-available basis you can upgrade your college on board to F using your miles no problem.

subject2load

eternaltransit is absolutely correct to highlight the fact that redemption space may never open up if EK feel they need to retain flexibility on what turns out to be a heavier flight than we as pax (with no access to definitive historical booking data of course) might be expecting.

Whilst the EF alert system can be a very useful facility, it is by no means a foolproof indicator of final flight loadings. A couple of weeks or so ago, I flew BKK-SYD, and no Z inventory was EVER released - ie from the day my J booking was first made several months previously, right up to the time of OLCI. Although on the one hand I found this a bit surprising (given that the F cabin looked to be wide open whenever I ran a check), I was also conscious of just how protective EK can sometimes be where Z inventory is concerned.

It so happened that at the airport I came across a (somewhat harassed !) supervisor who I had met on past travels, and who was good enough to offer an op-up to the last remaining F seat without the need to use my miles. However....that was sheer chance, and aided in no small part by the fact that there were no I/O's or Plats ahead of me in the pecking order.

The flight went out 100% full across all classes

MikeFly

Thanks for the replies. I have no status on EK - just lots of miles.

My colleague will have to wait for the Z gods to smile on him or not!