Originally Posted by
graraps
Not what the Ruzyne boarding agent said on Sunday, when I was flying AMS-PRG-MAN and she gave me a right bollocking together with my upgrade ("you should have told us when you arrived", "b...but I had requested it at AMS", "No! You have to request it here, at the transit desk...I am only giving the ug to you as a favour").
KLM agents at AMS didn't even know about the CSA elite ug policy ("can we get an ug on this flight?"..."no, it's not really full so I don't think they'll be upgrading anyone"..."why does it have to be full? I have an OK+ Gold card"...ad infinitum). I did get the upgrade in the end, after a few calls from the boarding desk presumably to the actual OK persons...
I was refering to the policy at AMS. In AMS the check-in agent (I mean the person at landside where you drop your luggage) cannot do anything for you - you have to request the upgrade at the gate. The check-in agents are only conversant with the KLM upgrade rules - which are NO UPGRADES TO ANYONE - EVER. At the gate, however, there they have IMHO always at least
one person with a little book who can check whether or not you are entitled to an upgrade. In itself being Gold is not enough for an upgrade - you also need to to be
not travelling on an award flight or in any of the Value Special classes. I think they actually called the CSA office in AMS when you kept droning on about your upgrade - the gate in AMS is only manned from about 45 minutes before departure (with more or less knowledgeable personnel).
You can always check whether you have already been recognized as upgradeble material, because in your reservation you will at a certain point in time after booking find the SPML designation. In itself that would indicate a special meal - but it never says which one. It is the business class meal. When preparing the flight they count the C class reservations and add the SPMLs - up to business class capacity of course - and prepare that number of business class meals. As well as a few extra for passengers who are Gold but didnt put their OK+ numbers in the reservation.
But even the gate personnel in AMS cannot award upgrades for connecting flights in PRG. That is correct - in PRG you have to ask them at the transit counter. NOT at the gate - slightly confusing that - I know. That is because of the ACL (waiting list for C upgrade) system they have - but only in PRG.
On your way back: In MAN you have to actually ask the upgrade at the check-in counter (and again NOT at gate - that is because the personnel at the gate in MAN cannot be bothered to know the arcane OK Plus upgrade rules - only two flights a day - who cares). Also there of course they also cannot upgrade you for connecting flights (CSA wants to keep its options in PRG open till 30 minutes before departure of the plane - who knows - an actual paying C class passenger might show up - also on the connecting flight the silvers have to be weeded out if there is too many candidates for an upgrade). The same procdure as in MAN also is employed for a number of other smaller locations, such as KRK and WAW.
Until PRG-IST last week I never in at least three years had to show my OK Plus card at the gate in PRG -I would just handover my ACL boarding pass (obtained at the check-in desk or at the transit desk and they would issue me my actual boarding pass.
AMS-PRG-MAN - that is an interesting routing - you must really not like KLM.