ozstamps

Well given that CO are stingier than even UA on award C/J space, don't hold your breath waiting for things to get better.

Seems to me that CO are calling the shots more and more in this area.

Glen
.

flyerbjorn

Award seats in C/F tend to open up last minute-ish. Looking at SFO-SYD for the next 7 days, there are C seats on Sun, Mon, Tue and F seats tonight, Sat and Sun.

The new one-way awards are great if you're flexible and happy to book last minute. I am

puckthescientist

Ugh, had no idea the upgrade prospects on this route were so bleak. If anyone could answer a couple questions it'd be a big help:

1) I'm 1P, and just today I put in a miles+copay upgrade for UA863 on 6/18/11 - in just a couple of weeks - on a K class fare. The upgrade's been waitlisted. Flight current shows as J9-C9-D9-Z9, and there are 34 open seats in the flight's seat chart. Naively, 36 seats still open should seem like halfway-decent odds...but really, am I *totally* screwed, or just probably?

2) The upgrade request got applied to the entire outward-bound segment (DEN-SFO-SYD), even though I already had a UDU in for DEN-SFO. DEN-SFO cleared instantly. If SFO-SYD doesn't clear, are they going to refuse to refund the 30,000 miles?? (if so I am going to be piiiiiissed...)

Finally, any general speculation on how these upgrades are prioritized? For example, would they clear mine before an SWU because they'd make $500 off me? Or would they clear a 1K's SWU before a 1P's miles+copay? I know I'm extra-screwed thanks to be 1P and on a K fare, but just curious...

ozstamps

Theese figures are not all seperate buvkets.

It MIGHT be there are only 10 spare seats in Biz even now, and all 4 buckets are able to draw from those 10.

Having said that, 9s are better than seeing 3-3-3-1.

LarkSFO

Have you checked to see if you have a Premium Seating offer?

puckthescientist

Wow - no, I hadn't! (had never even paid attention to or heard of these offers before). Turns out there was a K-to-A upgrade offer for $1150 on the SFO-SYD leg! A little bit of business-related shuffling later and I'm now confirmed in Suite 3A for SFO-SYD! Thanks a million, LarkSFO!!

LarkSFO

Glad it worked out for you.

Did you call to have your 30,000 miles and $500 returned to you?

Hopefully with no hassles....

puckthescientist

Yep. Took a little while to get someone who could fully comprehend the situation, but the 30,000 miles was returned ($500 would only have been due upon check-in) and the domestic leg of the flight, which had been automatically included in the "old" upgrade request, was demoted back down to E+. Worth it, in my opinion

In fact, I'd actually also purchased 30,000 miles that day to offset the original mileage "expense" (don't even ask...), and I was also able to get that purchase fully refunded with no hassle after only one simple email to [email protected], although this did happen within only 12 hours of making the purchase. All in all a quite excellent experience!

willzzz88

These days I hear Y is packed with Australian's god-given shopping trips to the US :P because Australia only has a 20 million population versus 200 million of the US and the US is the closest Western country they can fly to.

Oh and the A$ recently has surpassed the USD in Sydney and NYC trading:
http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=AUD

1 USD is ONLY worth 94 Australian cents!

Still I want to go, Australia & NZ is a dream destination of mine. Sort of like Europe in the 90's and Sydney is like NYC, Boston & SF combined into one.

karenalexislee

Hi there, have you been offered the upgrade at check in desk or via your check in online system? I am due to fly out from SYD-LAX on 23/6 and is wondering if I can pay for cash upgrade at the SYD counter? Any tips?

ozstamps

IF they have seats after clearing all GS/1K SWU waitlists etc in the few days before who are using SWUs, last buy-up figure I heard was about $US1100-$1200 one way, per person to first USA port.

If you get this offer, it is almost guaranteed the only seats will be central downstairs where you have pax either side.

If the flight has less than 8 seats showing now, chances of buy-up being offered are incredibly slim and they are usually offered out of MEL first.

hookthem

I put myself on an upgrade waitlist on my LAX -> SYD United leg using 30k miles / $450 copay. Do these upgrades typically clear at the gate? I'm getting a little antsy since my IAH -> LAX lag is on Continental, and it isn't letting me check in to the flight.

CPMaverick

Depends on a lot of factors, but yes these upgrades can be hard to come by. If you don't have any United status, it will be difficult to clear if it gets all the way to the gate scenario. Good luck.

mre5765

You understate the improbability.

I cleared on this flight back in 2007 on a SWU, and it was after I boarded and took my middle seat in E+. I had been re-routed from SFO/SYD to LAX/SYD from IAD, and as is normally the case, on an irrops re-route, had full Y fare status (and recorded the full 50% EQM bonus).

So a

- 1K,
- on a full Y fare,
- flying a 747 with many more yet less desirable seats in C than today's new config 747

was last to be upgraded (and upgraded after boarding).

OP, barring a major irrops that keeps elites from arriving from the other hubs, you are flying economy, sorry.

If a better seat is paramount to you, book a standard award or fly QF in premium economy on the A380 out of LAX.

hookthem

Good to know. I'll be CO Gold after this flight... wish I had it before the flight to increase my chances. Thanks for the info.

Is it typical to not be able to check in to Australian flights before you get to the airport?