Mar 9, 2015, 6:33 am
Last edit by: Gnopps
*** MOD NOTE: Please do not remove ***
A friendly reminder that Flyertalk is not a marketplace, and nothing may be offered (or solicited) for sale or barter within the general forums - which includes offering vouchers for free. For those with sufficient posts and length of membership, trading/exchange is allowed solely within Coupon Connection, and then only in accordance with the specific rules of that forum.
Please do not attempt to solicit, sell or trade upgrade vouchers within this forum. Posts will be deleted and the members concerned potentially subject to disciplinary action. **Please note that this includes directly using the PM system to do so without first posting in Coupon Connection**. Thanks for your co-operation.
A friendly reminder that Flyertalk is not a marketplace, and nothing may be offered (or solicited) for sale or barter within the general forums - which includes offering vouchers for free. For those with sufficient posts and length of membership, trading/exchange is allowed solely within Coupon Connection, and then only in accordance with the specific rules of that forum.
Please do not attempt to solicit, sell or trade upgrade vouchers within this forum. Posts will be deleted and the members concerned potentially subject to disciplinary action. **Please note that this includes directly using the PM system to do so without first posting in Coupon Connection**. Thanks for your co-operation.
Criteria
- You must be travelling on A3 or OA metal - codeshares are not included.
- The original ticket must be issued on either A3 (390) or OA (050) ticket stock.
- Only revenue (paid) tickets, in fare classes other than U, P & T on a GoLight fare basis, can be upgraded, but not redemption tickets.
- All flights on the ticket must be on A3 or OA metal.
- There must be award availability in I-class for the upgrades to clear. You can check this by logging in to M&B then going to https://en.aegeanair.com/milesandbon...t/spend-miles/ The results page will initially be a calendar. To see Business availability, you have to click through to the next step. (You can also use a free or paid tool such as ANA website, UA website (looking for saver award space), Aeroplan, AwardNexus or ExpertFlyer to check for availability.)
- One coupon per person per journey leg is required - so, for example, TXL-ATH-SKG and return via the same route would require four coupons per person.
- Anyone can be upgraded using the coupons - you do not have to be travelling on the same booking or even the same plane.
Procedure
- Call A3 to request the upgrade. The phone numbers are listed at https://aegeanairlines.custhelp.com/ (most of them should go to the same call centre in Greece).
- If successful, a new ticket will be issued (with a new number). The PNR will remain unchanged.
- You are liable for any extra taxes applicable to Business Class (e.g. APD from the UK). Sometimes this gets charged, sometimes it doesn't - if it's due and you're not charged because the agent forgets, you've just been lucky.
- If there's no immediate I-class availability, you can ask to be waitlisted for upgrade. The ability to waitlist was reported to have been removed in August 2016, but was again possible in September. Check with the agent - option available on May 2018.
- in case you requested to be waitlisted for upgrade and want to check if the customer care agent made the changes on your booking you can check the reservation on checkmytrip.com (click here), the leg you requested the upgrade will be shown here as ”Waitlisted”.
- If you wish to upgrade one segment of a multi-segment trip (e.g. XXX-ATH-YYY) and there is availability on the leg you wish to upgrade, you may still have to be waitlisted due to married segment issues. The process of clearing the waitlist is somewhat confusing and may result in frustration due to the availability seeming to disappear but in reality, this may mean that the segments have been "unmarried" and the availability has been allocated to your reservation. See post 2272 and the update in post 2294 for more details.
Benefits
- No matter what the fare basis of the original ticket, you receive full Business Class benefits after upgrade.
- This includes lounge access (useful if you're upgrading someone other than yourself who has no status, or if you've run out of Silver lounge vouchers) and full baggage allowance (it applies for first leg as well, in case you are upgraded only on the 2nd leg of your trip - confirmed on the etix).
- Because the ticket books as a redemption, the free car hire is not included.
Mileage/segment earning
- You will earn at the underlying rate of your purchased ticket in economy, not at a business class rate. Because status miles are awarded, this also counts as a segment for re-qualification purposes.
- The flights may credit automatically, but may take longer to credit than tickets that have not been changed. They may also credit as 0 miles, and later change to the correct rate. If the flights have not credited properly after a few weeks then calling A3 will rectify this rapidly.
Expiry
- The vouchers expire at the end of your membership year - they do not carry over, even if status is retained. A new set is issued every year.
- It is the date when you use the voucher that matters. It can upgrade a flight that takes place after expiry as long as you apply the voucher before.
- On upgrade from Silver to Gold, any remaining Silver upgrade coupons expire, but they are replaced by four Gold ones which expire at the end of the Gold membership year.
BEWARE
- Once you have upgraded your seat, your ticket will be reissued. Suddenly, this ticket may be VERY expensive to change. If, for instance, you later decide to travel on a different date, you will probably be required to rebook into Business, even if Economy was available for new bookings. A3 will charge you the difference from your original Economy fare to a NEW Business fare. Plus fees, taxes and whatnot. Update 18/08/2021: this appears to no longer be the case, as an upgraded ticket was changed and the underlying Economy fare was used for the upgraded segments. The coupon was "removed" from the old dates and "reapplied" to the new dates.
- Coupons will not be returned/reinstated. Once a coupon is applied, it is gone for good (the T&Cs printed on the coupons allow for date and time changes, but not route changes).
- If you want to provide your coupons to upgrade a friend's travel, it is advisable to call in yourself. Your friend can call in if they know your name, birthdate, M&B-number and the email address associated with your account. That means: Anyone who knows these particulars can use your coupons without your knowledge. They do NOT need the coupon numbers.
- Crediting upgraded segments to another program will likely fail, as it will be reported as I-class. It may be possible to retro-claim the miles.
Seat upgrade coupons
Jun 21, 2018, 1:22 pm
#1711
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Paris, France
Programs: A3*G, Accor ALL Gold
Posts: 597
Hi there,
We have booked 3 flights, 2 gold members, as follows :
- CDG - ATH 27/06 : one of us got upgraded with coupon the other one did not, as yet
- RHO - ATH 12/07 : upgrade request still pending
- ATH - CDG 22/07 : upgrade request still pending
What do you think ? It was very different before, upgrades were instantly confirmed or confirmed a week later.
Just wondering if some of you have experienced late upgrade ?
Thanks.
We have booked 3 flights, 2 gold members, as follows :
- CDG - ATH 27/06 : one of us got upgraded with coupon the other one did not, as yet
- RHO - ATH 12/07 : upgrade request still pending
- ATH - CDG 22/07 : upgrade request still pending
What do you think ? It was very different before, upgrades were instantly confirmed or confirmed a week later.
Just wondering if some of you have experienced late upgrade ?
Thanks.
Jun 21, 2018, 7:57 pm
#1712
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,566
Given you're flying in the "highest season" of the year, no wonder you have difficulties getting your flights upgraded. Here's a question to you: why do you want to upgrade the short hop from RHO to ATH? No lounge at RHO, the snack in C is not that great...
Jun 21, 2018, 11:18 pm
#1713
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Paris, France
Programs: A3*G, Accor ALL Gold
Posts: 597
Hello Klouis,
Thanks for your answer.
I always fly in the "highest season" so it makes no difference compared with the previous years. I think some of the spare business seats might go for the paid upgrade system Aegean has introduced. Don't you think ?
Regarding you question, I am most likely not to use the coupons at all if I don't use them on this short RHO-ATH flight ... so it's as well.
Have great day
Thanks for your answer.
I always fly in the "highest season" so it makes no difference compared with the previous years. I think some of the spare business seats might go for the paid upgrade system Aegean has introduced. Don't you think ?
Regarding you question, I am most likely not to use the coupons at all if I don't use them on this short RHO-ATH flight ... so it's as well.
Have great day
Jun 22, 2018, 12:53 am
#1714
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Paris
Programs: Miles&Bonus *G
Posts: 318
Jun 22, 2018, 1:38 am
#1715
Join Date: May 2012
Location: London, UK
Programs: A3 Gold
Posts: 158
Does anyone have experience availability for coupons on A3602 (ATH-LHR) since the new bid upgrade system came in? I fly this flight every few months on a Friday and usually manage to use a coupon to upgrade.
I've just been put on the waiting list (2 weeks before my flight is scheduled). Expert Flyer seat map shows 4 rows of business class with 5 seats currently available for this flight. My booking class is S and I'm travelling alone. When I check the big upgrade system, the first leg of my flight (to ATH) allows bids, but the ATH-LHR sector (on the same day) isn't accepting bids.
I don't mind if I don't get to use the coupon - just interested in what people think the chances are for this flight.
I've just been put on the waiting list (2 weeks before my flight is scheduled). Expert Flyer seat map shows 4 rows of business class with 5 seats currently available for this flight. My booking class is S and I'm travelling alone. When I check the big upgrade system, the first leg of my flight (to ATH) allows bids, but the ATH-LHR sector (on the same day) isn't accepting bids.
I don't mind if I don't get to use the coupon - just interested in what people think the chances are for this flight.
Jun 23, 2018, 6:14 am
#1718
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,344
Well I didn't get upgraded in the end as they decided to shrink the business cabin to just 1 row / 4 seats, and said the flight was full even though there were 3 or 4 empty seats so they could have left it as 2 rows 
Jun 24, 2018, 9:15 am
#1719
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Paris, France
Programs: A3*G, Accor ALL Gold
Posts: 597
Update :
Finally got upgraded, 3 days before departure.
This morning it looked like the business cabin was half full, with 6 seats available.
Expertflyer showed 3 I class seats.
They are now all gone.
Finally got upgraded, 3 days before departure.
This morning it looked like the business cabin was half full, with 6 seats available.
Expertflyer showed 3 I class seats.
They are now all gone.
Jun 27, 2018, 3:41 am
#1720
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: MEL, land of Oz
Programs: QF Plat & LTG; A3*A Gold; Avianca LM; Velocity; IHG Platinum, Accor All
Posts: 421
Happy ending
I agree and think it is only natural that the introduction of paid 'bid' upgrades will make the use of upgrade certificates a bit more difficult. This is likely to depend on which sector you are flying and when, and how early you make the upgrade request, but it just adds another element to the yield management equation. I believe that the airline will hold some seats back for possible paid upgrades, probably releasing them for use with certificate upgrades closer to the flight date if they remain "unsold".
To illustrate, I have had an upgrade request in for two friends on an ATH-LIS sector for a few weeks now. They are currently on WL. Expert Flyer is showing no availability in I class, but C4 D7 Z3. This morning they, and I guess everyone else booked on that flight who is eligible to bid, received an "Upgrade Challenge" email, asking them to make a bid for upgrade for that sector. My guess is that if they still don't sell all the upgrades through this method, the WL may then clear. I think this is a clear indication that the bid upgrades are taking precedence over certificates, at least in some cases.
I will try to come back and advise on the outcome.
Happy flying.
TB
To illustrate, I have had an upgrade request in for two friends on an ATH-LIS sector for a few weeks now. They are currently on WL. Expert Flyer is showing no availability in I class, but C4 D7 Z3. This morning they, and I guess everyone else booked on that flight who is eligible to bid, received an "Upgrade Challenge" email, asking them to make a bid for upgrade for that sector. My guess is that if they still don't sell all the upgrades through this method, the WL may then clear. I think this is a clear indication that the bid upgrades are taking precedence over certificates, at least in some cases.
I will try to come back and advise on the outcome.
Happy flying.
TB
The upgrade for both my friends was confirmed by issue of the new e-tickets (from Amadeus) about 72 hours before the flight.
This was about 6 hours after they received a second "Upgrade Challenge" email urging them to bid for an upgrade for their economy tickets. They were considering making a bid, but I counselled them to hold their nerve and take their chances. They were very happy with the outcome.
YMMV.
Happy travels.
TB
Jun 27, 2018, 10:45 am
#1722
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: PAS, Paros Greece
Programs: A3 *G
Posts: 1,372
Nothing really. You don't "give" the coupon for them to use. YOU have to upgrade their flight for them, so it's a case of them giving you information (the PNR, date, flight details, their name). Then you make the call to A3...
Jul 4, 2018, 6:25 am
#1724
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON, ATH
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, OA Gold (in memoriam), Hertz #1 Gold
Posts: 548
Coupon question
Hi there,
I used one of my coupons to upgrade a friend recently. It still shows as active on my account two days after her flight. How long it takes them to remove it?
If it still shows as available, I was thinking of trying to use it before someone picks it up. I won't do it yet, especially since all the other coupons have been waitlisted for the rest of my flights
I used one of my coupons to upgrade a friend recently. It still shows as active on my account two days after her flight. How long it takes them to remove it?
If it still shows as available, I was thinking of trying to use it before someone picks it up. I won't do it yet, especially since all the other coupons have been waitlisted for the rest of my flights