Magic Beep Questions
 

I have encountered the 'magic beep' twice in the last few years, both times:
- on a LHR-JFK segment as I am boarding the plane
- from CW to F
- on a WT+ fare that I MFU-ed to CW
- having connected from another BA flight
- as a single passenger on a booking, with no special meal request
- with an explicitly selected seat in CW, paid or otherwise

My questions are:

1. When exactly might the upgrade occur? I have used the Galleries Club lounge in the hours beforehand, and upon entry, I am never told/advised that I have permission to use the Concorde Room. If I have been upgraded a few hours before, would this be reflected in the lounge agent's computer?

2. I am a lowly Silver cardholder, and for my first beep, a Blue cardholder. Surely there must have been other Gold cardholders or paid CW fares ahead of me? What am I doing right? :)

Thank you in advance.

Hi,

Upgrades can occur at any stage before the flight, no way to know unfortunately. I have had bookings upgraded before T-24 check-in, at check-in, at the airport, at the lounge, at the second lounge (when using B Gates) and when boarding the aircraft. It depends on the situation and BA will actively monitor the loads and make decisions based on that...you can't control the situation so just enjoy it when it happens :)

If you do happen to be lucky and get upgraded at check-in or before that time, you can indeed use the CCR, however, generally, you won't know until you know :) so trying to ask the lounge angel or beeping in and out won't necessarily act as a trigger. If they really need to get something sorted they would page you at the customer desk in the lounge and tell you there. Sometimes they don't need to upgrade someone until the gate so no ability to get CCR access at that stage!

Your status is likely the reason, not the highest and not always in highest cabin...therefore BA wants to entice you to try and hopefully buy these cabins and fly with them more in future...after a few times without you buying or flying more though...they will move down the list and try it with others to see if they can entice more out of them...nothing is written in stone here though so if loads demand an Op-Up and you are there and convenient (and flying alone with no special meal requests...BINGO).

Nothing is guaranteed though, just enjoy it while it lasts! @:-)

HTH

There is an FAQ on this but you appear to have answered your own questions!

- LHR-JFK is likely to be overloaded in CW
- Connected from another flight means more likely you will be on the plane as you've checked in already
- Single passengers are obviously easier to move about than couples/families
- No special meal means no additional special meals need to be loaded in the higher cabin

If you are upgraded before you get to the lounge then they will tell you when you present your boarding pass as they'll need to print a new one that reflects your seat change.

And if you are in the lounge and using a Smartphone App, then a refresh of your boarding pass may show whether you have been upgraded.

I'm lucky to get a goodly supply of upgrades and the time varies from OLCI through to 30 minutes before departure, with a lot in the final hour or so. I try not to spend too long at airports so I'm generally made aware when entering the lounge, or on International connections at the BA desk. On UK connections there is a difference, so you'd normally find out at the lounge reception if leaving it tight, or in the lounge if you have a longer connnections.

Thanks - that's a great point. I forgot that lounge agents can print you new boarding passes.

1-What does the Magic Beep Sound Like

B-I thought Concorde Room was only for Gold Card holders traveling in 1st. Am I mistaken?

CCR is for any passenger travelling in F.

The magic beep sounds ... well like a beep! Instead of the usual green light on the scanner it comes up red and then after a bit of consultation, they'll hand over the new BP.

Mind you, you can get the beep for reasons other than an upgrade too!

i get beeped often, but they've never been magic. hence my question.

I've also clearly never flown BA First

Well the magic beep sounds like every other beep. It's getting handed the new BP that transforms it into the magic beep :D

Snap! I often get beeped, but it's the 'beep of doom' where I get a new boarding pass that shifts from a window seat towards the front of the plane to a middle seat towards the back. In 2013 it happened so often I almost expected it and I now avoid selecting seats in the first couple of rows on a domestic!

Maybe one day the beep will be different though!!

I can't say I've paid much attention, because I'm looking for the colour of the light rather than listening for the pitch of the beep - but isn't the "magic beep" at a lower pitch, signifying an error? Which it is, so far as the scanner is concerned, given that the message displayed on it is usually "NOT CHECKED IN".

You're quite right. I was imprecise. I was referring to the beep that accompanies the red light, rather than that for the green light :D

The ordinary beep is a F#️⃣ but the Magic Beep starts as a C#️⃣ and moves in Chromatic steps down to a F#️⃣:D

Chromatic is an interesting word to describe a musical feature, isn't it. :)