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Thread: Operational Upgrade priority order? Tips?
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Old Oct 6, 2016 | 11:12 pm
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niksal
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Originally Posted by saFlyTalk
Hi all,

My parents are flying Finnair, and it seems their flight to East Asia is quite oversold, based on ExpertFlyer. One of them currently has Gold status with American Airlines (soon Platinum), thus OneWorld Ruby (and soon Sapphire).

I was wondering if there is a known priority order was issuing operational upgrades? Would OneWorld status mean anything? Does volunteering at the gate make any difference? Due to (at times severe) arthritis, I'm trying to maximize their shot at an operational upgrade.

Thanks.
Operational upgrades are rare and not something you should ever count on. I think status matters so there would be Finnair's Plats and Golds as well as other Emeralds before them in the line. Depending when the flight is, the number varies.

In your situation I would probably see if Economy Comfort seats are available for purchase. Depending on the route you may also be bidding for an upgrade to C. For free, I think the possibilities are somewhere between extremely slim and non-existent.
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