[QUOTE=nzkarit;37509334]You can't tell if there are more than 9 free seats on a plane. An empty seat on the seat map does not indicate an that the ticket hasn't sold. Not everyone does seat select.[/

Yup, I know.still interested in answer to the original question.

I have had poor luck with double RUs. Obviously, they rank lower than single RUs PE-Biz.

If there is R class available prior to booking, then a double RU will clear immediately. However for a pending double RU I am not sure of robot �sees� these and if they�d clear in advance or be skipped until T-7.

As there is no way to influence things, I tend to just monitor ExpertFlyer and make a few dummy bookings for 9 pax (or as many as I can) to get a sense of the load in Biz.

Thanks for that, Thai Kiwi. Help me understand the �obviously� about the double UG not being as attractive as a single to the Robot? That was my wondering, I just wasn�t sure why that would be the case. Anyway - called NZ, saw the price of my Y ticket had dropped since I purchased it a week ago. For some unfathomable but serendipitous reasons they offered to UG the booking to PE for nothing and I�ve now lodged a single class APD UG. So fingers crossed. ETA - PE online was still miles more expensive than my Y ticket. Always pays to ask, I guess.

I once had a Y booking and a few days later the PE price came down to not much more than what I paid for my Y booking, so I rang up to pay the cash difference (couldn't do it online being a multi stop). J was still significantly more than PE (same as at the time of booking).

For some unfathomable but serendiptious reasons, while I could have paid for a cheap PE upgrade, J was waaay cheaper over the phone than what was being advertised online, so I did that instead

I've got a flight coming up in PE with an EAPD upgrade request in, where currently Y and PE are both sold out. J still has 9(+?) fares being sold online. Optimistic NZ might start opening up R class shortly or proactively moving some to J, in order to free up PE and potentially Y seating..

They cleared our RUs PE to J approx 4 weeks in advance in just this situation (for early Jan) 😀

:'( Nothing this end yet, monitoring daily for any signs of change.

I�m waiting on HKG-AKL early Feb with 5 PE and 9 J available on NZ website (I don�t have other tools). Waiting but like you no change. Update: OUCH now 0 PE and 9+ J.

A different question - if I am elite and then TCP another person who is booked on same flight, if there is R class availability for 2 would we both be upgraded or would the robot ignore?

TCP - The Complete Party. Term for linking 2 PNRs to say they are travelling together.

e.g. https://servicehub.amadeus.com/c/por...p-pnr-cryptic-

No, the robot will ignore as pax not on same booking reference (aka PNR) afaik. But with AirNZ IT matters, who can be sure�.

TCP simply �points� each PNR to each other so a party can be considered as a group for disrupts etc.

I read here about people checking in and discussing or making requests about pending RUs (eg saying it would be ok if only 1 passenger out of 2 was upgraded/happy to sit separately).

How exactly does one make such requests when checking in overseas?

In my limited experience, airports in Asia use non-Air NZ staff at check-in, and there are no Air NZ staff at the designated lounge.

Meaning that the first contact with Air NZ staff is at the gate. Would I need to go to the gate early to discuss still pending RUs? (And is doing so at the gate potentially a bad idea/liable to reduce chances of success)?

At the gate is your only realistic option, but I don't see why it would 'reduce' the chances. I think there must be a process that looks at final loads, no-shows and the processes the RUs. I suspect, but don't know, if gate staff can actually process anything. Rather, I think the re-print boarding passes and can see the status of upgrades etc.

I have had a PNR split without being asked flying BKK-SIN-AKL-WLG in PE with RUs lodges for SIN-AKL. I noticed my seat allocation disappeared and then I was in biz. But Mrs TK was left in PE.
Our adult sone was on the same trip on a separate PNR in PE, and gate staff proactively had re-seated them together (we had TCP the bookings). I offered to swap with Mrs TK but she insisted I stay in biz.....

Last week (PVG), i was asked at check in, by contract staff (ie not NZ employees) if we wanted 1,2, or 4 passengers considered for upgrades (we had 2x PNRs with 2x pax ea). We weren�t successful, but the contract staff were very proactive about asking our preference for whether we would accept only 1 or 2 etc (out of the total 4) for upgrades if the seats became available .

Trickier if you originate else elsewhere and arrive in transit for the NZ flight with pending upgrades. In my example upthread, I�d flown BKK-SIN(-AKL) so was in transit at SIN so no engagement with check-in staff possible