jackal

I would suspect that neither the fare class nor the booking class changes at all. The person is simply assigned into a seat up front independent of any changes to the fare class or booking class or anything.

dmodemd

I have seen the scenario where someone just walks up to the gate counter and casually asks if there are any F upgrades they can purchase, then the gate agent looks it up and offers them an amount. I haven't seen one actually purchased myself, but one could presume the agent would take the easiest path and just sell the upgrade, putting them directly into F, thereby bypassing and reducing U.

Since upgrades are often not processed until right before (or well after) boarding, any paid F upgrades would steal a U unless the GA specifically follows the policy mentioned and checks U first and holds the F purchase request until later.

This causes a lot of extra headache for the GA if after clearing U , and checking boarding, find still F open, upgrade list empty and needs to go back onto the plane to process the purchase?! Not practical.

Of course on all the flights I take the upgrade list is far beyond what would ever be available so GAs should not even be entertaining an F paid upgrade request if they were aware of the policy. So I infer they are generally not (aside any new recent communication). (Maybe I will test them next time by asking to purchase an upgrade )

It would really help the situation if complimentary upgrades were processed (the first time) when check-in deadline has passed. ...then once again after boarding to catch the no-shows.

jrl767

see my post 414 upthread ... this shouldn't be rocket science:

• GA offers paid UGs on a STANDBY basis
• GA clears Elites from the waitlist just before starting boarding (~T-45 min)
• GA processes payments for remaining F seats in order requested

beckoa

It would be nice if this was hard coded in AS' interface, to help those stations who don't know better.

I wonder if I've been leapfrogged by this before at these.

jrl767

I probably wasn't clear: that's my view of the "SHOULD-BE" policy/process, and it's not necessarily congruent with the "AS-IS"

dmodemd

On paid_upgrade_event
If fare_class_U>0 then print "Error: All upgrades have not been cleared yet!"

Easy to enforce

EZEDoesIt

I have a full Y fare, put in my DL Elite number and now my reservation says: This reservation is not eligible for online MVP® Gold Guest upgrade.

Has something changed in the past year? As I reported in this thread almost exactly a year ago it worked for me previously.

PV_Premier

IT is all screwed up

id call and get your FF removed, apply the upgrade, then re add your FF

EZEDoesIt

Apply what? The only way I'm eligible for any upgrade is by virtue of my DL status, so removing that from my reservation seems counterproductive.

PV_Premier

then you have nothing to be worried about by that message. MVP Gold Guest upgrades are like UA RPUs...it's a certificate/code that you use to get into F immediately. if you're waiting for a complimentary upgrade with your DL status, just make sure your reservation shows "first class waitlisted" in your flight info on the "my trip" page. if so, you're good to go.

with a Y fare, you *should* be upgraded immediately* if/when U is available, unless they've fixed that loophole in the IT for DL status. technically, the stated benefit of Y fare instant upgrades applies only to AS status, but it used to happen that DL status holders were also insta-upgraded when U space was open.

*immediately used to mean immediately. now it means "immediately", or a couple hours thereafter the reason you likely haven't been upgraded yet is that either (1) U isn't open or (2) they fixed the DL FF# Y/B/M loophole.

knowing AS it's more likely #1

Baze

When is the flight scheduled for? If May 1st or later there is no partnership between Alaska and Delta so no free upgrades for Delta flyers.

EZEDoesIt

It's before May of course; can't afford to fly an airline where I can't earn MQM!

Baze

Then it is probably some kind of IT glitch as you wouldn't have any Gold Guest Upgrades as a Delta flyer (of course). Call in to Alaska and see what they can do. I only mentioned the May 1st severing as it seemed from your post you may not have been familiar with the changes as you asked if there had been any changes in the last year.

Seattlenerd

The Gold Guest Upgrade option requires a GGU certificate. You may have picked the wrong option.

cblaisd

I'm still completely puzzled about some aspects of complimentary upgrades....

I never got an email noting I'd been upgraded to Premium Class, but when I did online check-in today it allowed me to pick a Premium seat for no up-charge.

Once you've been upgraded to a Premium seat, the app no longer shows your position on the upgrade list to F (even though looking at my itinerary online it is still showing "First Class waitlisted").

I sent a message to the AS Twitter rep asking what my position currently is on the F upgrade list. She/he responded: "Very sorry, we aren't able to see the exact order of the upgrade list."

I find that completely puzzling.

Tomorrow, when I get to the airport do I nag the gate agent, asking where I am on the F upgrade list? Does that list actually go by status or some other mysterious process (the flight I'm on typically has few -- and sometimes no -- elites at all on it)?

I'm just puzzled by how complimentary F upgrades work if it doesn't happen prior to T-24.