Hope this is in the right spot, I'll try to be brief. I needed flights from Toronto to India, then from India to Sydney AUS, then from Sydney back to Toronto. Online fares were around $4300 CDN. I called a travel agent and he told me that because this is an 'open jaw' ticket, he would probably be able to get me a better deal, with all flights within one alliance. And he did! Toronto - Mumbai via Paris (Air France), Chennai - Sydney via Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Air) and Sydney - Toronto via Los Angeles (Delta/Air Canada). Total was $2800 but he made it clear that these tickets are not refundable under any circumstances and travel date changes would be very expensive. No problem!

Today I decided to call all 4 carriers to see if I could pay to upgrade, hopefully to Premium Economy. The Delta rep told me that because these tickets were booked under a 'bulk fare' code, they are not upgradeable by the airline. 'I can't touch them', was how she put it. Malaysian told me the same. Interestingly, Air France did upgrade me to something called 'Seat Plus'. It was only $140 for the two legs. Hopefully it's a bit more legroom.

Is there any way at all around this restriction? Can I even hope for a chance at an upgrade at the check-in counter? Any other tricks I can try? Like I say, I'm willing to pay. I'd pay up to $500 to upgrade the 14 hour flight from Sydney to LAX, as long as it's as good a deal as a recent British Airways 'Premium Economy' upgrade turned out to be (a lot wider and a lot more legroom, really a big difference IMO).

Thanks guys, for any help or information.