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
Feb 28, 2017, 12:15 am
#1323
Moderator: Aegean Miles+Bonus
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AMS / ATH
Programs: AFKL Plat, A3 Gold
Posts: 7,342
Have you verified there to be availability through the Award-booking tool?
If not you can always ask to be waitlisted, however that web page will show you if the agent was correct or not denying your request. By the way it is not uncommon that there is no upgrade space, especially in April around easter. Those are some of the busiest travel dates of the year in Greece.
If not you can always ask to be waitlisted, however that web page will show you if the agent was correct or not denying your request. By the way it is not uncommon that there is no upgrade space, especially in April around easter. Those are some of the busiest travel dates of the year in Greece.
Mar 1, 2017, 12:03 am
#1324
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: LAX & BKK
Posts: 135
A3 flies to Lisbon on Wed,Fri and Sat the I class are all shown 0 for that week.
Unlucky me
Called A3 just now and they can't put me on waitlist because there are no availability guess she's telling the true!
Unlucky me
Called A3 just now and they can't put me on waitlist because there are no availability guess she's telling the true!
Last edited by IBstudent; Mar 1, 2017 at 1:32 am
Mar 1, 2017, 2:10 am
#1325
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: A3*G
Posts: 42
Mar 1, 2017, 2:27 am
#1326
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: LAX & BKK
Posts: 135
Mar 1, 2017, 2:58 pm
#1327
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 27
Last edited by HanDaniel; Mar 1, 2017 at 3:03 pm
Mar 4, 2017, 3:24 pm
#1328
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 27
Just a quick update, KWI - ATH - WAW upgraded successfully, with €0.6 Tax fee, you can give your credit/debit card number while phoning, they will do the rest. Also don't know why I still have one coupon left (probably going to be used after the flights?)
Mar 7, 2017, 10:13 am
#1329
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SEA
Programs: A3*G, AC, IHG Plat AMB
Posts: 1,604
CS Agent phoned me this morning (thankfully after 7am) and let me know my CDG-ATH has finally been confirmed from the waitlist, so I am now officially upgraded CDG-ATH-WAW.
Although maybe I'm being suspicious, but I'm not a huge fan of people phoning and asking for my credit card number to process the €10.14 taxes. I mean, okay, I see the Aegean Airlines number on caller ID, and they know my name and flights, but that was it. Am I being paranoid that this doesn't seem enough to give out a credit card number just over the phone to someone who calls you with so little info?
Says the guy who did it anyway. Calculated risk for J.
Or is there not a better way of doing this, e.g. make taxes on upgrade payable on the website? Yes, yes, I know. A3 IT is special. But conceptually.
Although maybe I'm being suspicious, but I'm not a huge fan of people phoning and asking for my credit card number to process the €10.14 taxes. I mean, okay, I see the Aegean Airlines number on caller ID, and they know my name and flights, but that was it. Am I being paranoid that this doesn't seem enough to give out a credit card number just over the phone to someone who calls you with so little info?
Says the guy who did it anyway. Calculated risk for J.
Or is there not a better way of doing this, e.g. make taxes on upgrade payable on the website? Yes, yes, I know. A3 IT is special. But conceptually.
Mar 8, 2017, 9:12 am
#1330
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: USA, JPN, GBR
Programs: A3, AA, AC, AS, DL, NH, SQ, SK, UA; BW, CP, HH, IHG, MB
Posts: 1,950
This is probably a stupid question, but is there a way to confirm (or rather view) you're on the upgrade waitlist? Obviously, A3's own website sucks, as the My Booking page is very basic and doesn't even show seat assignments. 
CheckMyTrip, while detailed, doesn't have any indication that an upgrade is pending (not that I expected it to).
Somewhere upthread the MyFlights app was mentioned to show that there'd be two line items for the waitlisted flight - one Economy with your original fare code and one Business with the "I" code. Mine only show the Economy.
Btw, ticket has already been reissued because of the two upgraded segments, and phone reps confirm that the others are waitlisted. Curiously, only one upgrade coupon has been pulled.
Thanks!
CheckMyTrip, while detailed, doesn't have any indication that an upgrade is pending (not that I expected it to).Somewhere upthread the MyFlights app was mentioned to show that there'd be two line items for the waitlisted flight - one Economy with your original fare code and one Business with the "I" code. Mine only show the Economy.
Btw, ticket has already been reissued because of the two upgraded segments, and phone reps confirm that the others are waitlisted. Curiously, only one upgrade coupon has been pulled.
Thanks!
Mar 11, 2017, 2:59 pm
#1331
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: ZRH, CGN
Programs: AA Gold, *G
Posts: 257
Just to update on this, I booked a saver fare between Paris and Cairo which booked into P. The Aegean agent initially said it was non-upgradeable but put me on hold to check and she then confirmed that saver fares in P were eligible for upgrade. Upgrade was processed and I am now booked into I in the business cabin.
Has anybody had luck with HUCA with this newish policy?
Mar 11, 2017, 10:47 pm
#1332
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: USA, JPN, GBR
Programs: A3, AA, AC, AS, DL, NH, SQ, SK, UA; BW, CP, HH, IHG, MB
Posts: 1,950
Personally, I think they should exclude U, P, T (E) from being booked as Flex fares and keep it to GoLight/Saver, but that's a whole different matter... It just sucks to earn the same miles as GoLight when you could be paying significantly more for a Flex ticket.
Mar 11, 2017, 11:50 pm
#1333
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,567
As for the second: Indeed flex tickets are often much more expensive than GoLight, but when you compare tickets in the same fare class (e.g. the U, P, T that you mention), the difference between the two is just what you'd pay for the luggage. It's therefore just a psychological "thing" but, I ultimately agree with you: it's crazy to only be getting 200 miles for domestic travel unless you pay the extra 20€ and buy your ticket in a higher earning booking class by phoning them.
Mar 12, 2017, 3:01 am
#1334
Moderator: Aegean Miles+Bonus
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AMS / ATH
Programs: AFKL Plat, A3 Gold
Posts: 7,342
On the one hand I wasn't happy that tickets on sale (u/t/p go light) in November were going for ~50 euro one way, and that flex was more than double. It's not just the luggage fee when tickets are on sale. The flex price seems to be regular fare + luggage fee.
On the other hand I'm getting a very comfortable business class flight for just a little extra, and, since I do have to change flights every now and then...the fact that they are flexible is actually not such a bad thing.
On the other hand I'm getting a very comfortable business class flight for just a little extra, and, since I do have to change flights every now and then...the fact that they are flexible is actually not such a bad thing.
Mar 12, 2017, 8:16 am
#1335
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: PAS, Paros Greece
Programs: A3 *G
Posts: 1,374
The flex price seems to be regular fare + luggage fee.
Fair enough, but it's still a bit of a ploy. Most people assume that Flex is the ONLY ticket they can buy if they have luggage. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to explain to friends and family that they can save money by booking GoLight and adding the bag. Most of them don't even realise their ticket is flexible when booking Flex! they say "Flex? That means you can take a bag if you want to, right?". I even knew somebody who, because they had to go home due to a family illness, just booked a new ticket a week early and "threw away" their perfectly good Flex ticket because, quote: "Nah, airlines don't let you change your tickets without stupid high fees!". Of course, they were not impressed when they put in an insurance claim and the bulk of it was refused on the grounds they could have changed their original ticket and paid only about 50 Euro more.
But anyway, Aegean explain it all VERY clearly in my opinion - far better than some others, so people really only have themselves to blame.
Last edited by Knobbgb; Mar 12, 2017 at 8:23 am