How Complimentary Upgrades Work

Old Dec 16, 2018, 12:05 pm
  #676  
 
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Originally Posted by brizone
Yes, of course! Especially given that the first rep was in PHX (notoriously poor training there, for some reason. I usually immediately hang up if they say they're in PHX), but he was actually pretty good (perhaps a change in in the wind in PHX now?)

Second one from BOI was relaying back the same info. But I'd already been escalated to the MP rep in SEA, who insisted there was no way to fix it.

[...]
My experience with the PHX call centre has been excellent as has BOI. No issues booking CX awards with either. Always happy when I get one of those centres over SEA which has erred a few times with assistance. Sorry you feel you have to hang up on PHX on the assumption they are poorly trained and provide poor service overall.

James.
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Old Dec 16, 2018, 3:55 pm
  #677  
 
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
My experience with the PHX call centre has been excellent as has BOI.
James.
Yes, PHX worst, SEA next, BOI consistently the best.

Neither PHX nor BOI front-line call center reps book Cathay awards. You were transferred to a rep at the Partner Awards desk for that (even if the first person you spoke with worked with you to find availability). In fact, if one just asks to be transferred immediately (rather than playing a game of telephone about your itinerary between the two of them) you'll find the process goes a lot quicker.
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Old Dec 16, 2018, 4:49 pm
  #678  
 
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What I recall is that after a status change, if you have the agent remove the FF# from existing records and then re-add it, the system will then properly recognize the new status in those records

Not saying it SHOULD work that way, but that's a work-around for the issue you describe
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Old Dec 16, 2018, 7:15 pm
  #679  
 
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Originally Posted by brizone
Yes, PHX worst, SEA next, BOI consistently the best.

Neither PHX nor BOI front-line call center reps book Cathay awards. You were transferred to a rep at the Partner Awards desk for that (even if the first person you spoke with worked with you to find availability). In fact, if one just asks to be transferred immediately (rather than playing a game of telephone about your itinerary between the two of them) you'll find the process goes a lot quicker.
Not true! The PHX agent booked it directly. I gave here the flight numbers and it was booked within 8 minutes. No hand off to another agent.

James
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Old Dec 16, 2018, 11:07 pm
  #680  
 
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
Not true! The PHX agent booked it directly. I gave here the flight numbers and it was booked within 8 minutes. No hand off to another agent.

James
Then you were lucky, you happened to get someone who had already qualified on Int'l. Partner Awards. Must have been a slow night for them, and they ended up taking calls from the level 1 support queue.
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Old Dec 16, 2018, 11:33 pm
  #681  
 
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Originally Posted by Tracer_SEA
What I recall is that after a status change, if you have the agent remove the FF# from existing records and then re-add it, the system will then properly recognize the new status in those records

Not saying it SHOULD work that way, but that's a work-around for the issue you describe
AH! Got very excited when I saw this. Had an agent try it, but alas, no dice.

I wonder if that may actually be a sign that convergence in the data is slowly arriving. Just learned from this call that they're planning a pretty significant new rollout that's supposed to deal with some of these issues in 1Q2019. Fingers crossed...
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Old Dec 17, 2018, 12:56 pm
  #682  
 
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Can anyone help me understand how the timing of upgrades works out? For example, on a flight I'm taking today, there are six F seats open. I checked on the website and all six are available for sale, so they're not just unticketed F passengers. At T-24 hours, all six are empty and no one on the upgrade list has been upgraded.

At T - 14 or so (middle of the night), 3/6 F seats have people from the waitlist upgraded into them. But there's still 3 empty seats and multiple people on the waitlist (myself included). When does the system determine when/how to dole out those last 3 seats? I've watched the upgrade list for a few different flights now, and the process always seems to baffle me.
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Old Dec 17, 2018, 1:31 pm
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This entire thread is devoted to answering that question. Start with the first post (that's probably all you need to read)
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 11:33 am
  #684  
 
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Please correct me if I'm wrong -- I read the first post, and it seems to go in-depth to describing how the Upgrade List order is determined -- how ticket holders are ordered on the waitlist for upgrades. I understand how that order is created. What I'm asking is how does AS determine which open F seats are available for complimentary upgrades at what time. A simple reading of Alaska's own page on how upgrades work suggest that starting at T - 5 days, all open F seats will start being assigned to elite members in descending order of the waitlist (as described in the first post). In reality, not all open seats go to complimentary upgrades at T - 5, T - 3, or T - 2, so what I'm asking is how /availability/ is determined, not upgrade order.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 11:42 am
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Originally Posted by morphogencc
Please correct me if I'm wrong -- I read the first post, and it seems to go in-depth to describing how the Upgrade List order is determined -- how ticket holders are ordered on the waitlist for upgrades. I understand how that order is created. What I'm asking is how does AS determine which open F seats are available for complimentary upgrades at what time. A simple reading of Alaska's own page on how upgrades work suggest that starting at T - 5 days, all open F seats will start being assigned to elite members in descending order of the waitlist (as described in the first post). In reality, not all open seats go to complimentary upgrades at T - 5, T - 3, or T - 2, so what I'm asking is how /availability/ is determined, not upgrade order.
Revenue Management determines if and when a "U" class ticket becomes available.

James
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 12:12 pm
  #686  
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Originally Posted by morphogencc
A simple reading of Alaska's own page on how upgrades work suggest that starting at T - 5 days, all open F seats will start being assigned to elite members in descending order of the waitlist (as described in the first post). In reality, not all open seats go to complimentary upgrades at T - 5, T - 3, or T - 2, so what I'm asking is how /availability/ is determined, not upgrade order.
The web page talks about upgrades "being available". That's not every first class seat! They don't publish their methods for deciding when to make U space available, but it probably has something to do with the probability that the seat will be sold if it's left available (if they upgrade you, and then someone comes to buy it later and it's not there, that upgrade costs them a lot of money, and they don't want that).

They seem to have been making changes to how they do this, but lately they seem to be (usually) holding the last 1-3 F seats up until boarding, and upgrading people then. It probably varies a lot by route though.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 7:28 pm
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Just a quick update. My son and I ended up getting upgraded BNA -> SFO < 24 hours before the flight (on it now). SFO -> OGG was not upgraded at the same time, but I did notice that the upgrade cleared very recently (< T24). Even more surprising, U opened up, so I immediately GGU'd my wife and daughter. We do have a set of split assignments but all's well that ends well! Thanks for all the advice upthread.
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Old Dec 29, 2018, 9:11 pm
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Originally Posted by dayone
With some slight variace, upgrading unsold F at T-30 minutes is my experience.
LOL. Maybe everywhere except STL.

Was #2 on the list for 2 seats recently when the GA told me "Oh, the computer either does that or it doesn't happen." He appeared busy, so I briefly just let it go, and he moved on to trying to find four seats together for a family that didn't plan ahead (he actually looked like he moved mountains for them and did a good job... just clueless with upgrades).

I waited for him to disappear down the jetbridge a few minutes later. I asked his colleague, who had just appeared behind the podium, if she could clear us. She said, "Oh no, we don't do upgrades here. Those seats will automatically go to #1 and #2 ." I said, "I"m #2 ." She looked confused, but after a lifetime of typing, she wound up printing a boarding pass for the F seat.

#1 on the list never cleared and what seemed to be a nonrev was quickly ushered into the seat just prior to door closure.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease at AS these days, I guess.
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Old Dec 29, 2018, 9:17 pm
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Originally Posted by metallo
LOL. Maybe everywhere except STL.
Please consider writing in to Customer Care for follow up, not just Alaska Listens. This is not how its supposed to happen and AS needs to follow up with the station.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 10:25 am
  #690  
 
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At DFW I was #1 with F1 showing on inventory. At 5 mins before boarding, nothing was cleared. I went to the counter and presented myself as #1 on the list and asked if/when they were going to clear upgrades. The (junior) agent said, not yet, but I was virtually guaranteed the seat. I asked if they could clear BEFORE boarding so I could take the seat rather than backhauling from row 17 against incoming boarding traffic. She said to just wait at the gate then... so I watched first class and Group A board before eventually I was handed a BP. The dual line arrangement was being ignored so I had to get in the back of the line, boarding by Group C. Fortunately they did hold space in FC for a couple more bags.

I really wish they would clear F before boarding if check-ins are not 100% at that point!
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