Originally Posted by
laurat55
Can anyone provide me some insight on how to book a flight (paying cash) and upgrade (using miles) for an upcoming trip to New Zealand? When I go on the Web and follow the instructions, every flight says "upgrade not available". I have got to the point where I am looking at random days and literally cannot find a single flight in which I can upgrade. I have looked at flying into Auckland and Sydney (yes I know Sydney is not in New Zealand!). Nothing.
Having done this flight before, I know I don’t want to sit in coach. I want to finalize my travel plans, but I can’t even get the flight booked. Secrets? Insight? Help!
International upgrades are difficult. You are trying to get a $6,000+ seat for much much less and United does not make that easy (since they are in business and would prefer to sell that seat for full fare if possible). You have two basic issues to consider: (1) What are my available routing options; and (2) how do I find upgrade space? The most basic answers are, you may need to get creative on routing - for example through HNL or Asia (i.e., NRT-SIN-AKL). You also need to learn how to look for upgrade inventory - it's R fare class, and you can see this in "expert" mode on UA.com or - even better - by getting an Expert Flyer subscription. You can research these subjects further here on FT. Do some reading.