PezRadar

Hi all -

Making a trip from YVR -> LHR roundtrip in a few weeks and last time I flew this route I was offered a discounted upgrade to business class when flying from YVR -> LHR from WTP. I checked before I got to the airport and BA was wanting $2,000-$3,000 USD for the upgrade but when I got the the BA lounge in YVR, they offered it for $850 CAD.

Is this typically offered on the day of flights in the lounge if Biz class isn't full? I'm flying again on WTP and may attempt to see if I can rely on that since my fare code isn't W and I can't use AA miles to upgrade :[

madfish

Have you looked on MMB to see if you have a POUG being offered for the flight? More details on POUG in the relevant thread. You may also find information in the AUP thread as well.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...17-thread.html

Airport Upgrade Promotions (AUP) tracking and discussion | 2017 thread

Swanhunter

It's more often used to monetise upgrades required for operational reasons. They may or at not be offered on a set of variables known only to the Gods.

Lewis Watson

We're you offered it or you had to ask?

corporate-wage-slave

Just to clarify this a bit more: USD2000 plus is usually a fare difference and will always be available subject to seating availability (and sometimes even not subject to availability!).

Anything sub USD1000 on that route is going to be a POUG or AUP and that is based very loosely on the delta between (say) the cheapest CW return fare and the cheapest return WTP fare, plus a bit on top, divided per leg. So in other words the very cheapest way to fly CW - apart from UuA - is to buy a revenue CW ticket in the first place. However AUP and POUGs are the next cheapest.

Now in the case of POUGs these will be offered via MMB to those who bought direct from BA.com. UuA are offered to other channels too, including some corporate tickets. POUGs are not offered to travel agency tickets (or complex ticketing) except at online check in, since ticket ownership only passes to BA at that point. AUPs are available at the airport, and though in the case of YVR (JFK, EWR, YYZ, BOS etc) they are also available in the lounge. Sometimes the staff are proactive (EWR in particular), sometimes you need to ask. However it's actually best done at check-in since some lounges can't do this (YUL, BWI, MCO for example).

POUGs are straightforward revenue, it's just an extension of the revenue stream like paid seating - they want your money, and they actually may want your seat too so they can sell it someone else. So if you are in WTP on a 787-8 and WT is selling like hot cakes - well there aren't that many WT seats on that aircraft so they may need you to go forward, ideally for money or with an involuntary upgrade if not.

AUP, on the other hand, are calibrated: you cannot rely on this at all since anyone who clocks up a certain number of AUPs under their name will be flagged as someone trying to pay one cabin and travel another. If so, their AUP won't be successfully processed in the system. This identification is more sophisticated than looking at your frequent flyer number.

[And for anyone dazzled by all the jargon: accept my apologies however there is a glossary in the Forum Dashboard!]

dnw

IME too. Returning from ORD in December in J we were offered discounted paid upgrades to F On arrival at the lounge which we politely declined.

30 mins later I refreshed the app and we found ourselves in F anyway