PreferJ

I'm thinking of taking Mrs. PreferJ to LHR at the end of November for her birthday.

I want to fly via YYZ or YUL as this is a mileage run for me.

Checking for J reward seats, they show actual J availability on the YHZ - YUL or YHZ - YYZ sectors but not on the transatlantic portions.

I know that if you "pay" for a J seat with points but have been assigned a Y seat, you are supposed to be able to waitlist on check-in for being moved up to J which you actually paid for.

In searching old threads, I came across references to pax in such situations having "priority". Can someone confirm this - i.e. would I have priority for example over SEs and Es who are upgrading from paid Y fares?

Thanks a lot...

blue2002

In theory, yes, a D-fare has priority over (S)E's upgrading at the airport. In practice, well, you better have a look at this recent thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=362874

Also, in order to redeem a D-fare reward, there must be D availability on at least one segment.

YOWkid

Well, in most cases, SE and E who are upgrading from Y and M fares will have already done so before they arrived at the airport, assuming C was available at the time of booking or when their ug window opened. And a D/W ticket is considered to be full fare, so if you're not first, you're probably second or third. With the mini-J cabin coming back, that means there are a lot more available seats for upgrades.

shore9

You will be at the top of the list at the airport for an upgrade, the only people ahead of you will be pax who have missed a connecting flight, or pax who upgraded in advance.

cattle

I don't have the time or energy, can somoene else please deal with him today

shore9

excuse me, but that's how it is. And yes I have experienced this for myself. That's even what the AP agent told me as well.

cattle

You are not excused as you don't understand simple logic.

If that is the case they ALREADY have their seats as they upgraded out of C class before going to the airport so you aren't waiting behind them.


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PreferJ, if the flight is C0 the day of departure and there are people waiting for airport upgrades (assuming J space is available) you are to receive the J seat before any upgrades as you paid for the J seat (even if it is with points) so you trump even SE's trying to use certs. It has been said many times here that it is in your best interest to try and get the seat assigned at check in but if that fails make sure to let the GA know ASAP that you are on a D ticket but in Y and could they please assign your J seat(s) now as you do have a J seat booked just not assigned

Now if the J cabin is booked and you hoping there is a no show to get your D seat then it is my understanding that if someone paid $$$ for a J seat and is currently in Y as well then if a seat opens in J it would go to the $$$ paying pax first. Otherwise you are at the top of the list.

How it goes for missed connections is honestly a mystery to me. If someone mis-connects on their flight but they used u/g certs to sit in J and you are both fighting for an open J seat I have no idea if they will assign the seat in that case. Could be ugly to say the least Now I am assuming that missed connecting pax with a $$$ J ticket would get the seat ahead of you as they have indeed paid for that seat with cash.

FatBoyYVR

Shore9, please read Cattle's answer and learn from it. Firstly, it is thorough, complete, and well thought out. Secondly, he is clear about what he does know, doesn't know and is unsure about. Thirdly, it is nicely worded and will make sense to someone who searches for this kind of information in the future. And of course it is factually correct!

It really isnt that hard.....

exAC

Do not use the word UPGRADE

You have paid for J seat with the D award ticket. Using the word upgrade will confuse the situation. You are not asking for an upgrade, but are asking for what you paid for.

cattle

^ Excellent advice. I edited my post to remove any mention of upgrades as well.

PreferBulkhead

I would like to say well-done to you cattle , but that may be taken the wrong way!



PB

marbuck

Cattle's advice is right on, but I will add that a D award with even one segment is almost as good as a d award all the way if the objective is to get a J seat. Often, as well, it provides much better 'value' than those overpriced Avenue awards -- just a few points more and you go business class! It also helps get around the problems of scarce availability when the number of award seats for certain flights is limited.

Examples:

I wanted to take my family of three from YOW to YVR on points. No availability for awards, except for a D award with one segment YOW-YYZ where three seats in J were available. (On the surface this looks like a dumb award; why pay the premium for D when you can only confirm one short haul flight... But with gate or check-in adjustments to the tickets, we flew J all the way.)

Recently, our family flew LHR-YOW on a fully loaded Thanksgiving Day flight. I ended up in the back with my son (SSWUs didn't work) but my wife, with a D ticket, got the one and only available gate 'upgrade'. She enjoyed a restful flight and now is less critical of my Flyertalk interests. A couple of SEs were in the row behind me, fuming about poor service in Y on full fare Y tickets -- apparently their TA forgot to confirm the upgrade at booking and of course my wife took prioirty over them when the one seat became available. LHR is very good and knowledgable about the procedures, they coded our boarding passes correctly and the gate agent had the revised pass ready right on schedule.

One question I have not resolved (and not of course tested in practice) is how the system works with D awards on * carriers. Do the same rules apply?

shore9

I believe (based on what I heard when I was asking this) that with * reward, you get the class that you are confirmed in, you might be able to stand by for J, but I bet there's a different priority order, with you most likely near the bottom.

acysb87

How many of your posts begin with the words,"I believe" ?

You are "THE WEAKEST LINK,GOODBYE"

Academic

PreferJ: Also remember that the likelihood of a full J cabin from YUL or YYZ is very small. And if you book 856 out of YYZ, there are later flights that you could potentially go on standby.