zoovet

Today I booked seats in PE on NZ 283 for Mrs Zoovet and myself. I asked if R Class was available for the flight (in October 2020) to see if we could get guaranteed upgrades, and apparently none were available for the several months before this (the agent I spoke to looked back as far as April 2020). When she asked her supervisor they found that R class seats had been released for flights to other places (indeed I have booked them on a AKL - SFO flight next September) but none had been released for the Singapore flights. Has anyone been able to use RUs recently on this flight?

kiwifrequentflyer

Yep although it wasn't instantly cleared. I lodged an upgrade for my parents three months ago from Y to PE. They are jade. My APD cleared for them three days out. The are still more than three days out from their return so we will have to see, but I suspect it will be cleared. It could be that it's just unlucky and the R space goes fast on that route.

nzkarit

Yes have had RUs to SIN back in July. But weren't R class immediate ones but cleared in during flight from WLG to AKL.

Is NZ contractually obligated to offer R class on all flights and routes? Or can revenue management say no R on a route for these dates?

SIN being a 789 route do they not want R class when flight may go from a v2 to a v1? Less people to move? Given the Trent issues and that they really need the v2 for ORD and EWR, may be SIN will see less v2?

samyoull

PE upgrades clear into A, not R.

zoovet

I have heard back (promptly) from a querying email to AirNZ and they state that R Class was not released for the days of my travel. The agent did look back for several months, and the lack of R class availability for any of those days leads me to believe that the "guaranteed" R Class release of two seats for early booking does not apply to NZ283. I wonder if this is the start of a new policy where Elite customers will no longer be able to use RUs or Elite Upgrades to have a business class seat guaranteed to other cities as well.

JayKiwi

I doubt it very much. But, the day that 365-in-advance confirmation of Elite upgrades is killed, I am gone forever over to other carriers, no question.

JANZFlyer

+1

Hector99

+ 1

Poll:

who has called up regarding R class availability and had it confirmed and been successful online recently?

Quick poll....?

samjnz

+1 since that means there really is no benefit for being Elite (parking vouchers don’t count)

bce1

yes to US. Checked as booking and on phone to agent.
TT never clear anymore now even if R class showing to agent it seems.

kiwifrequentflyer

I called up and they flat out told me for a flight to IAH.

JANZFlyer

TT I often upgrade my child to be in cabin and tends to clear immediately (she is 3 so I cannot risk it not being confirmed obviously!)
When paying myself I am flexi with dates or routes (on the way to NYC) and so I always look for routes with availability - recently IAH.

***although haven't tried in the last 3-4 months

A class never seems to be an issue personally and I do this often TT or for the Islands.

Hector99

Amendment - a recent poll of R class availability and confirmation. There are murmurings in this thread and another recently that the policy has changed. Certainly 4 months ago when I booked some AKL YVR flights, R class was available and confirmed immediately.

There has been no official change but mutterings on FT that there has been a change. How recently have people been able to immediately confirm R class - any one in the last month i.e. October? (regardless of date of travel)

Thanks

zoovet

The agenyt did look at flights to other cities when I rang to book NZ283 (the flight I tried to book in R class was well ahead of now on 7 October 2020!) and said that she could see R class available to other cities, but not on NZ283. I myself earlier was successful booking automatic R class to SFO on NZ8 for early September 2020.

mad_atta

I have - only yesterday, for AKL-SFO-AKL