BushwoodCountryClub

I seem to get get offered nearly every S/H flight now - maybe it's the fact I try and travel outside of the busiest flight times generally.

Anyway, off to IST in about 8 hours and decided as I will need to get some work done I'd pay the Ł90 and get some extra elbow wiggle room in CE. Paid up, then went through to check in........and....the seat map shows me only 4 rows in the front cabin.......yippeee, Ł90 to move from the back (albeit lovely row 27) of the bus to the comfort of a CW seat on a subbed L/H 767. Maybe it's the refurbed one......here's hoping :-)

FlyingHoustonian

I paid 59 Euros to upgrade my CTA-LGW (Catania-Gatwick) flight this week.
I've paid less in the past and 10-15 euros more once.

I do this route about once a year for the last 5 years, though this is the first time I can remember BA trying to charge me for picking a seat in Club Europe ahead of time (25 euros!) I did not pay for the seat selction (it was 12 Euros in coach).

I'm not a huge BA flyer mind you and this is the route I most often use so my data set is limited, but I'd have thought being "up front" not matter how you got there would get you an advance seat selection. oh well.

As an aside, I tend to upgrade because I have extra bags and it is usually just a bit more than the bag fee to upgrade so why not.

This is the first time the flight is scheduled for an A319 instead of the old 737-400s I've done the last few years.Ciao.

Londonflyer

Title says it all, MMB offering me Ł125 each way WT-WT+. This is about 5 weeks out.

Apologies if this has been asked before, but can you buy this and then use Avios into CW if there is the correct availability?

stifle

Your profile suggests you used to be an AA Platinum/Executive Platinum but aren't any more. That would probably explain why you had free advance seat selection in the past, as any oneworld emerald or sapphire member can select (most) seats free from time of booking for everyone on their PNR.

Those "up front" on long-haul routes (i.e. FIRST) do get free seat selection irrespective of how they got there (although row 1 is sometimes blocked).

TheAAdmiral

Is this location airside or landside? We arriving from ORD on AA in T3 and connecting to FCO in T5 and I was thinking about upgrading to CE. Can this done airside at T5?

Thank you,

Joely

I'm kinda new to this so
A) is it always worth asking at check in or will you be offered before getting to the airport
B) do higher status get more opportunities/lower price (I'm about to move from bronze to silver)?

evanderm

A) yes, most staff are knowledgeable enough to know about these types of upgrades and can sell them to you even if you haven't been offered online (this happened on my last flight). However, some will offer a blank stare and start repricing your ticket to the next cabin for hundreds to thousands of ŁŁŁ. Offers aren't available on all flights so even with a knowledgeable agent, you may still be quoted a significant amount. Some agents just don't know to look.

B) Not documented by any means and I'm sure status has no bearing on the price or availability of these offers. If anything, non-status members are more likely to take the offers because status-members may well have been op-upped at OLCI.

britbronco22

I was just offered an upgrade to CE DUS-LHR for Ł57 at OLCI.
The significant note is that it was a travel agent booking, the first time I have ever received an upgrade at OLCI on a TA booking. Hopefully something has changed and now this will happen consistently!
I declined as I already have C bagged in the first row of ET, but it was nice to be offered!

HELflyer

Yes - after arrving in T3 and being bussed to T5, continue through security, turn right and go downstairs to the gate level. The upgrade booth is in the hall with the lifts to the T5B/C rail link - that's the second hall looking from where you enter through security when transiting. (There's a booth in the first hall next to gate A10 as well, but I don't think they handle upgrades there, so don't bother queuing for that one)

Reportedly upgrades may also be available at the service desk on the right just before entering security in T5, so you might ask there as well if an agent is free or the line is not too long. But those lines can move very slowly, so often it may be better to just head straight to the booth after security.

Note that upgrades are not always offered at the airport, so if you get one in MMB for a decent price, it may be better to grab that.

TravellerFrequently

I hope you keep the front of ET sseat.

With 4 hours to go before take off, I was in the same position. By the time I boarded, the curtain moved forward a few rows.

britbronco22

I haven't printed my BP so I will keep an eye on it. Should be ok so long as the curtain doesn't move back!

DavidITGuru

The good lady and I both availed of the MMB upgrade from GVA > LHR and also on the return (tonight). It was CHF 99 pp each way which is less than Ł70 at today's exchange rate.

It would have represented excellent value except that my better half has no interest in the upgrade on such a short flight nor the extra points so I had to pay for hers too!

Ironically when we got on the plane we were 2 rows behind the curtain and in the same physical seats that I had reserved when in economy! I mentioned it to the cabin crew and they got the engineers back on board to move the curtain further back and adjust the relevant seats.

Was quite entertaining as they had to move 12 people out of their seats to do it.

Sixth Freedom

Are the POUGs now made available to passengers travelling on tickets purchased in the UK but originating in points outside the UK?

I have three CW returns coming up in the next 4 months and could be tempted to upgrade to F on the day sector!

stifle

I don't think so but you can ask at your starting outstation or at GC in LHR when you get there.

darthlemsip

So, arrived at DFW about an hour ago and thought I'd see if I can do an upgrade from CW to F.

Was told "Sorry sir, you would have to speak to your ticketing agent, and it would probably cost you full fare" (the ticket was through BA, not a TA)

Figuring she just meant CW to F (and I'm happy enough with my CW seat), I said "Fair enough, just thought I'd ask as I've done upgrades to Club here before"

"No sir, that simply cannot be, we've never allowed upgrades here before" came her reply

"Well, you do as I fly this route every couple of months and usually upgrade the leg home to Club so I can sleep"

"No sir, you are wrong, we don't allow that"

"I'm sorry, but please stop telling me I'm wrong, because this does happen here. I've flown ticketed in Club the last two times I cam through, but I paid to go from World Traveller to Club in Spetember, it cost me $750"

"Sir, you must be thinking of another airport as we have never permitted that here"

At this point her colleague next to her finishes with the passenger she was checking in and whispers something in her ear, before my agent taps something into her computer, and with a complete change of attitude says

"Certainly sir, we can do that for you for $499"

"So you do do updrades then?"

"Yes sir, it would seem so"


A rather frustrating check-in. Didn't go for the upgrade either, figured I'll be sleeping anyway