Continental Upgrades
 

I don't know if I asked this before. I heard that AC Elite member (Star Alliance Gold) members do get upgraded on international Continental flights going overseas.

Has anyone seen this happen?

Please advise. I am flying Houston to Dubai and would love an upgrade!

Here are three upgrade options:

1. Purchase an upgrade
2. Redeem Aeroplan miles for an upgrade
3. Pray and beg an agent for an upgrade
4. Look good and let the nature of forces attract you for an upgrade

If the coach cabin is overbooked and they have gone through all the CO and UA elites, they will pull STARGolds of other carriers, but this is a long, long shot since most CO and UA flights are already filled in C with their own top tier elites who have used SWUs to upgrade. As noted, other options include purchase of upgrades at OLCI or airport check-in, or using AE miles if you are paying full Y fares.

Thoughts?
 

What If I asked Continental for a status match for 90 days and then fly and then maybe attach my miles to CO.? Cause they will give me platinum status right?

Thanks

upgrade cost?
 

ANyone know the OLC upgrade cost for Star ALliance gold for HOU > Dubai on average?

I pay $49 from YVR> HOU.

Continental is unlikely to match AC status.
And even if, you would not get systemwide upgrades until you earned them.

You will not get an upgrade on this route - you have better odds at 6/49.
There will be enough oil traffic to fill the front cabin.

Maybe if you ask nicely, they will give you an exit row for free - but again, unlikely.

CO is very unlikely to status match you from another *A carrier. You're already *G.

Why would they give you their top tier Platinum status? You are only an Elite, so it would be Gold at best, more likely just Silver. And as noted, unless you show you are moving to the USA, they are reluctant to match from fellow STAR programs. More to the point, given CO's program will end in four months, they are unlikely to even consider a status match. Further, CO and UA don't do straight out matches. You must fly a certain number of miles on their metal flights before the match is granted.

And as I noted earlier, most flights are already filled in C by revenue, miles and SWU upgrades. If you really want to fly C, then fork out another couple of thousand dollars and it's yours!

Let me add some facts, as much as there are facts in this industry.

1. CO will not status match *A
2. If it did match you, it is [almost] always one tier less than what you are being matched from (as an anecdote, I am BA Gold, which requires a lot of BIS miles, and almost impossible to achieve without premium class or full fare travel, and was matched to CO Gold Elite, not Platinum Elite, which is much easier to earn.)
3. If you somehow got Gold, you would still be out of luck because, although CO's policy is to fill the domestic F cabin with status pax upgrades (my US domestic courtesy upgrade rate is 100% and I don't have to ask for it) it does not apply this to flight configured with an international cabin. You are basically hoping for an op up, as Shareholder says.
4. You can buy an upgrade whin you OLCI, but don't expect it to be cheap.

thank you
 

Thank you for all the feedback. I guess I am SOL. I am hoping there is an online check in upgrade available. Would love to know the cost if anyone has done it.

I am going IAH > DCA > DXB.

Thanks

Since your questions now have nothing to do with AC you should probably go ask in the CO/UA forum. The previous upgrade buy-up that you mentioned was for a domestic flight unfortunately a buy-up if available on an international flight will be a lot more (min $500 and could very easily be double that).

Good luck on finding your upgrade.

on another unrelated upgrade but fun note....

I showed my AC Elite card, requested for an emergency exit seat at the gate for a CO from EWR-SFO. I was told, i would need to pay because its an extra legroom seat.........

2 minutes later.....a cute asian girl with great physique went up to the counter and requested the same for her boyfriend and herself........ Needless to say, the agent quickly printed out new boarding passes for her.....

Note to self........ wear bra.....put make up......shave legs....... and what else? :D;):p

get a "great physique"?

I do think that an otherwise unclaimed ELR seat could be given to another Star Gold... making you pay if the seat is otherwise unclaimed is just lame.

oh wellz.... at the end.... out of the 6 emergency exit seats only 3 were taken....... another 2 moved over on their own.... the latter row was even less and the first row was 3 taken on the left and 1 taken on the right

ballsy as this is now supposed to be policed - and FAs will/should ask for the credit card of a self-mover - or tell em to go back where they came from.