Originally Posted by
wtphock
A little confused about paid upgrades on British. For context, I have an upcoming work trip, and can only book economy through our travel portal. Willing to pay (with cash or avios) for an upgrade to J.
I'm looking at what's available, and there's an itinerary that I think works for me BER to LHR, LHR to LAX. Looks like there's plenty of seats available in J according to expert flyer for the LHR to LAX route. I can book through British or American, but I'm assuming it's best to book direct with British.
Based on this thread, it seems like it might not be offered because I have a connection on the itinerary, and even if it does, I'll be booking through our corporate portal, so it might only be available 2-3 days before. Does that sound right?
Putting aside the connection issue, even 2-3 days before is very unlikely if you've booked using Concur / company corporate travel portal. If a POUG will be available in this instance, in my experience it will only be at Online Check-In 24 hours prior to departure once the ticket is locked in and sat firmly with BA.
Also, note that a POUG only offers a
one-class upgrade, so will be for Economy (Y) (World Traveller) to Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus). You cannot get a POUG for economy to J; your only option for upgrading from economy to J will be to ask if an upgrade is available at the airport on the day of departure (and this will be cash, not Avios). To manage your expectations, IME these are rarely available (and if they are, usually v. expensive) on the LHR-LAX route.