How upgrades work?
 

I am going to be flying YYZ-LHR this summer and would like to upgrade one way. I was wondering if someone could explain to me the difference between SWU and SSWU. What fare do I have to be booked in in order to upgrade, and are there any other restrictions? Also, how can I get my hands on a SWU/SSWU? I checked ebay but no one's selling right now :( Thanks for the help!!!

Ok, first off...you need to carry status with Aeroplan to get your hands on a SWU or SSWU. SSWUs, I think, are only usable by an Elite or Super Elite member.

Certificates are personalized these days, so even if you did get them on ebay and did have status, chances are it wouldn't work out for you as expected. Also, the purchase of these certificates is frowned upon by the members of this board in general. When they were not personalized, folks here would often give away certificates if you asked nicely.

SWU, or "System Wide Upgrade" is usable on the more expensive & flexible fares like Y, M, and U. The coveted SSWU, or "Special System Wide Upgrade" can be used with a lowly Tango+ fare. No upgrades work on Tango fares.

Read the sticky posts in this forum for details about fare classes and such, this is a good one: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22809

I gather that since you don't have any certificates, you are probably not eligible to use them. In that case, I hope you are traveling with someone who does have status and likes you enough to use one of his/her certs on you!

You will only get SWU or SSWU if you have Aeroplan tier status, such cannot be bought and tier upgrade certificates are personalized and non transferrable.

Thanks for your help. I don't have status with Aeroplan, so I guess I won't be able to upgrade after all :( Oh well.

All hope is not lost! Just call up AC and pay up to executive class ;-p

Seriously though, there aren't really too many shortcuts. You need to give AC a bunch of money before they start giving you freebie upgrades. Make sure you have your AP number on the LHR trip's PNR, you'll be on your way to some status!

I would also guess operational upgrade for no status member is impossible on AC.

Unusual, but not impossible if the flight is overbooked. I scored the odd op-up on AC even before I got Elite status.

There is a chance, but it is very slim. You would likely have to be on a high fare, and even then it would still require a lot of luck. Your best chance would be for the flight to be oversold and the gate agent to be desperate for pax to bump to J.

Post your flight details, if a SE or an E is on the same flight they may gift you a cert and sponsor you for the flight. Personally I have 14 certs from 2006 and would certainly entertain the request

I have no status on AC, but I am Plat on US and 1P on UA, and have managed upgrades on two r/t trips from YYZ to LHR in the past year. I am sure the *G (or possibly dual *G) status shows in the system, but no idea how I ended up with the upgrades, I was just happy to be up front and sleeping.

Thanks again for all the feeback! As for my flight details, it most likely going to be on June 30, probably the 7 somethingish flight. I'm in the process of booking and will post further details as soon as I know them. Thanks again; people on this forum know way more than I do about flight booking, awards, classes, etc. and it's good to be able to come here for answers!!! :)

You're welcome. Good luck with your trip.

One more quick question. If someone were to offer to upgrade me if they are on the same flight, would it matter what booking class I'm in? If to does, what are the classes I have to be in, in order to be upgraded? Thanks again!!

Yes it would make a big difference. Unless you are booked in a Latitude Plus fare, the person would require a very rare and valuable Special System Wide Upgrade (SSWU) to upgrade you. If you are on a Latitude Plus it would only require a System Wide Upgrade (SWU).

Most fliers most likely ended the year with a surplus of SWUs, but if they planned well no extra SSWUs. If I were on the same flight, I would consider upgrading with an SWU, but certainly would not give up an SSWU.

Given the significant additional cost of Latitude and the relatively small probability of someone on the board being on the same flight, I suggest you buy the cheapest fare and be prepared to sit in the back.

Agreed. I'd think twice using a SSWU on family, let alone a stranger! SSWU has significant $ value.