Guy Betsi,
I went to the airport today and got my 'upgrade stickers'. when I drove by AMS airport, I noticed a CX A340 on the ground...nice looking bird !
The Swiss lady looked 'thrilled' with my request, she first decided to print out my file because it didn't fit on her screen anymore. She then copied approval codes from the reservation file to the upgrade stickers. It took about 10 mins to complete this. This way I am sure to avoid any problems on my departure day.
However...I once upgraded a Sabena ticket with Qualiflyer miles (SN was very close to Swiss and was NOT a partner airline, but a full participant), and got exactly the same upgrade stickers on my ticket. I therefore would assume that the approval codes are Qualiflyer system references to mileage account deductions, to ensure that the miles have been taken off.
Question remains: Does CX get compensation from Swiss for each upgrade they allow on behalf of Qualiflyer ? I can't imagine any airline forking out real money to offer upgrades on partner airlines to their members...sounds too good to be true. I would assume that they give each other an equal allotment of seats to upgrade or offer for free, this could explain why they are sometimes hard to get.
Does this makes sence to you ?
Cheers !
Jan