Jan 14, 2015, 7:42 am
Last edit by: riced
Let's put this in a wiki post!
Please include: route; original class - new class; original price paid; final price; where the upgrade was obtained [via bid or at check-in]; month of flight.First Letter of your last name.
Please include: route; original class - new class; original price paid; final price; where the upgrade was obtained [via bid or at check-in]; month of flight.First Letter of your last name.
- AUH-SYD and MEL-AUH, J-F both at $1250 AUD.
- NRT-AUH Y-J $950USD or ¥110,000JPY offered at check in.
- AUH-DEL AU$150
- IST-AUH AU$400.
- JFK-AUH Y-J US$1,400 at check-in.
- JFK-AUH Y-J US$1,180.
- AUH-JFK Y-J US$1,150 (March 2015).
- JFK-AUH Y-J US$1,100 (April 2015)
- AUH-GRU J-F AED2575 (€650; US$700) minimum upgrade bid accepted (April 2015)
- SYD-AUH J-F A380 US$1,050 $50 above min bid. (October 2015)
Offered a paid upgrade
Aug 29, 2016, 10:49 am
#467
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Manchester, UK
Programs: EY Silver, BA Silver, EK paper, BOAC Junior Jet Club
Posts: 151
Offered Plusgrade minimum bid + £15 on line. Accepted. But my cc company declined the "unusual" transaction overnight (it's an Etihad branded M/C, and has been used before for the same purchase). Cleared the purchase with the cc company and tried again in the morning but absolutely no reply from Etihad.
Nothing taken from my account, so I presume space not available or less than 28 hrs before flight means I was unsuccessful. Manage my booking also doesn't show an upgrade.
So, two data points:
MAN-AUH Plusgrade £560 + £73 tax
MAN-AUH Push Upgrade £706 + £73 tax
Aug 30, 2016, 12:27 am
#468
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
I have a business class ticket HYD-AUH-DFW using AA miles. Obviously this ticket is not eligible for bidding. There is no F service for HYD-AUH. I would like to get AUH-DFW F. As of now, only 2 seats show as sold and 6 open seats.
1. Will they offer paid upgrades at airport for AA award ticket?
1. Will they offer paid upgrades at airport for AA award ticket?
Aug 30, 2016, 2:19 am
#469
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Manchester, UK
Programs: EY Silver, BA Silver, EK paper, BOAC Junior Jet Club
Posts: 151
48 hours out I rang Etihad. Push upgrade Y-->J £779.20, which I declined.
Offered Plusgrade minimum bid + £15 on line. Accepted. But my cc company declined the "unusual" transaction overnight (it's an Etihad branded M/C, and has been used before for the same purchase). Cleared the purchase with the cc company and tried again in the morning but absolutely no reply from Etihad.
Nothing taken from my account, so I presume space not available or less than 28 hrs before flight means I was unsuccessful. Manage my booking also doesn't show an upgrade.
So, two data points:
MAN-AUH Plusgrade £560 + £73 tax
MAN-AUH Push Upgrade £706 + £73 tax
Offered Plusgrade minimum bid + £15 on line. Accepted. But my cc company declined the "unusual" transaction overnight (it's an Etihad branded M/C, and has been used before for the same purchase). Cleared the purchase with the cc company and tried again in the morning but absolutely no reply from Etihad.
Nothing taken from my account, so I presume space not available or less than 28 hrs before flight means I was unsuccessful. Manage my booking also doesn't show an upgrade.
So, two data points:
MAN-AUH Plusgrade £560 + £73 tax
MAN-AUH Push Upgrade £706 + £73 tax
Surprisingly more than accepted Select Upgrade bid.
Nov 7, 2016, 5:14 am
#472
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Any data points for shorter, regional flights? In particular I'm thinking AUH-AMM. Also is there a master list of what fare classes are not eligible for Plusgrade?
Nov 29, 2016, 9:25 pm
#473
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: CAN
Programs: TK*S, KF Gold, Marriot Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 282
Does anyone have experience on the AUH-HKG sector? Got offered a minimum upgrade bid Y to J of EUR 445 which seems to be a good bargain (according to the website, route should be operated by EY, not Air Seychelles, on my flight date)? Also, is there anyone who could look into the Y load factor on that route for 23rd August? Thanks a lot for your advice!
Jan 13, 2017, 7:26 am
#474
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: UK
Programs: OneWorld Emerald/GHA Discovery Black
Posts: 552
I am venturing back to EY after a long absence (purely because the timing/schedule works for me on this occasion). I am familiar with the "select upgrade" system and assume it is still in use? I understand the "Economy Deals" fares (T fare class) are ineligible for upgrading with miles but wondered if anyone has experience of these cheapest fares being compatible with a "select upgrade" offer? Thanks in advance.
Edited to add:
I have found the answer to my own question and my fare is NOT eligible for the "select upgrade" offer.
http://www.etihad.com/en-us/before-y...rade-yourself/
Edited to add:
I have found the answer to my own question and my fare is NOT eligible for the "select upgrade" offer.
http://www.etihad.com/en-us/before-y...rade-yourself/
Last edited by Work-Shy; Jan 13, 2017 at 8:39 am Reason: Additional information
Jan 21, 2017, 9:19 am
#476
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM, HH Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 171
I am flying JFK>AUH>MEL this coming weekend.
I am flying J, but bid maximum for upgrades in F.
In looking at ExpertFlyer, each leg has one (1) seat in F, and two (2) seats blocked off.
On a 3 class plane, where are the crew rests?
I am flying J, but bid maximum for upgrades in F.
In looking at ExpertFlyer, each leg has one (1) seat in F, and two (2) seats blocked off.
On a 3 class plane, where are the crew rests?
Feb 6, 2017, 2:06 pm
#477
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: DXB / WAW
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 726
Usually Airport Upgrades are the cheapest, followed by bids and then miles upgrades (depending on the type of ticket and the value of the miles); GBP 1400 for a one way upgrade seems steep to me, as do the minimum upgrade bids. If you are sure about wanting to upgrade, then I'd take the push upgrade over the phone. It's the same as the minimum bids and you are guaranteed a seat in J. Try to get them to give you miles and tier points for J not Y
I just got bid to upgrade from J to F offer on both legs:
AUH-LHR $880-$1500
LHR-AUH $1000-$1500
I am not really sure why did I get LHR-AUH upgrade offer if based on Etihad website First is sold out on the return trip...
Feb 7, 2017, 2:38 am
#478
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Australia
Programs: Virgin Velocity
Posts: 58
PER to AUH - Y to J - $1300AUD
AUH to PER - Y to J - $1425AUD
January 16th with RT on Jan 23rd
Online Bid with original ticket prices selected Economy Saver. I Flew PER to NCE - NCE to PER. Total Economy ticket = ~$1700AUD all in Y + the two J upgraded bids (happy for the upgrades in the 11-12hour flights)
AUH to PER - Y to J - $1425AUD
January 16th with RT on Jan 23rd
Online Bid with original ticket prices selected Economy Saver. I Flew PER to NCE - NCE to PER. Total Economy ticket = ~$1700AUD all in Y + the two J upgraded bids (happy for the upgrades in the 11-12hour flights)
Feb 7, 2017, 11:55 pm
#479
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: DXB / WAW
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 726
Do you mean you can actually bargain upgrade price from J to F over the phone after getting bid to upgrade email?
I just got bid to upgrade from J to F offer on both legs:
AUH-LHR $880-$1500
LHR-AUH $1000-$1500
I am not really sure why did I get LHR-AUH upgrade offer if based on Etihad website First is sold out on the return trip...
I just got bid to upgrade from J to F offer on both legs:
AUH-LHR $880-$1500
LHR-AUH $1000-$1500
I am not really sure why did I get LHR-AUH upgrade offer if based on Etihad website First is sold out on the return trip...
Details: I booked AUH-LHR-AUH return Business Classic tickets for AED 15110 discounted by 10% (thanks to discount code I found on FT) from AED 16630. When placing the bid for upgrade, I checked First availability on AUH-LHR via Expedia and there were only two seats left (confirmed also by Etihad booking system availability).
I didn't bid for upgrade on return LHR-AUH leg as according to both Expedia & Etihad, First is fully sold out. Not sure what's the point of their offer in this case, unless they expect some last minute cancellations?
For the reference AUH-LHR A380 in First cost approx. AED 22000 (approx. AED 45000 for return trip), so the bid to upgrade is not a bad deal at all.
I am looking forward to trying out First Class lounge in AUH & First Apartments on board. If the chauffeur drive has been booked under J class, will Etihad upgrade the car in this case automatically or the chauffeur car will remain as booked originally?
Edit: I didn't get upgrade email confirmation yet, although my credit card was charged 3 hours ago. I only found out because I got instant SMS notifications on every credit card payment.
Edit 2: Good post here on A380 F best seats. Luckily of the two left, one was 3A which I chose. Don't mind rear facing, travelled BA CW few times already in middle couple seats arrangements ;-)
Last edited by stiwi; Feb 8, 2017 at 12:12 am
Feb 9, 2017, 2:55 am
#480
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BNE
Programs: VA Plat, QF Silver
Posts: 12
Any advantage in waiting for the email invite vs 'Etihad Select' now?
Hey there FTers,
I'm a VA WP travelling in MEL-AUH-LHR on 4 March with EY, booked in economy, and keen to bid for an upgrade...
Can anyone please advise whether is there any particular advantage or disadvantage in bidding now via the 'Etihad Select" engine on the website, or should I wait for the invitation email?
And if its successful how far out do they debit the credit card?
Also, has there been a change which means EY better recognise VA FF? HAs anyone had any experience as VA WP getting an op up, and any advice what to look for?
Cheers & TIA
Helloorama
I'm a VA WP travelling in MEL-AUH-LHR on 4 March with EY, booked in economy, and keen to bid for an upgrade...
Can anyone please advise whether is there any particular advantage or disadvantage in bidding now via the 'Etihad Select" engine on the website, or should I wait for the invitation email?
And if its successful how far out do they debit the credit card?
Also, has there been a change which means EY better recognise VA FF? HAs anyone had any experience as VA WP getting an op up, and any advice what to look for?
Cheers & TIA
Helloorama