Best flight option for an upgrade

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Oct 20, 2009 | 1:40 am

jjones

Original Poster

Join Date: Jan 2009

Programs: CX Diamond, SQ PPS, TG Gold, QR Plat, SPG Plat

Posts: 30

Best flight option for an upgrade

Dear FTers

Need your collective advise here....

I am a DM and am travelling to SF this Sunday (Oct 25) on CX870. Just wanted to get your thoughts on the best flight to pick for the highest chances to an upgrade on Sunday or even a day earlier (Saturday).

My flight back is on Oct 30 and your advise again on the best option for the return flight will be greatly apprecaited !

Thanks a bunch in advance.

PS - sorry I forgot to mention that I am doing HKG-SFO

Last edited by jjones; Oct 20, 2009 at 1:41 am Reason: updates

Oct 20, 2009 | 2:02 am

fsklee

Join Date: Mar 2009

Programs: UA,AA,CX,SWA

Posts: 276

Fiest of all, I am a believer in getting what I pay for, in this case, in cash or in miles.

Are you flying Y or J? SFO J has been very full lately, but Y is not. There are usually a few DMs on this flight. I would not count on Y->J op-ups. The chance of getting a J->F op-up is higher.

Oct 20, 2009 | 2:44 am

LapuLapu

Join Date: Oct 2004

Programs: BR Gold, MPC Silver

Posts: 322

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjones

Thanks a bunch in advance.

PS - sorry I forgot to mention that I am doing HKG-SFO

I would pick the late afternoon flight to SFO if there is one, Sunday.

I get consistently op-up Y-->J on the Sunday HKG-LAX flight that leaves around 4:40pm

The night flight is hit and miss.

Oct 20, 2009 | 2:54 am

Werckmeister

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: BKK

Programs: TK Elite Plus, QR Gold, IHG Gold

Posts: 203

You need to find out which flight's Y class is overbooked. Unlike other airlines, CX will only upgrade you to J if Y is full.

Oct 20, 2009 | 8:58 am

david_33

Join Date: Nov 2007

Location: Lima, Peru

Programs: LAN Commodore

Posts: 732

Which of the two flights SFO-HKG would you recommend for a J-F upgrade?

Oct 20, 2009 | 12:32 pm

sfducati

Join Date: Jun 2006

Posts: 373

Quote:

Originally Posted by david_33

Which of the two flights SFO-HKG would you recommend for a J-F upgrade?

I'm guessing cx 879(1:35pm) one, usually it has lighter loads than CX 873(midnight) one

Oct 20, 2009 | 1:35 pm

Werckmeister

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: BKK

Programs: TK Elite Plus, QR Gold, IHG Gold

Posts: 203

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfducati

I'm guessing cx 879(1:35pm) one, usually it has lighter loads than CX 873(midnight) one

Uhm, so you mean he/she should pick the one with the heavier load then. If the load is lighter he/she won't get upgraded.

Oct 20, 2009 | 11:48 pm

cy1978hk

Join Date: May 2009

Location: Singapore

Programs: SQ PPS, OZ Gold, Marriott Titanium & lifetime Platinum, IHG Diamond

Posts: 174

Quote:

Originally Posted by Werckmeister

You need to find out which flight's Y class is overbooked. Unlike other airlines, CX will only upgrade you to J if Y is full.

Is there any easy and accurate way to find out if the Y class is overbook? Seat counter.com or amadeus.com only gives you how many seats are left, but it gives no hints on whether the flights are overbooked.

I've come across several experience that seatcounter/amadeus on a particular showed no availability for all sub-class, but it turned out that the flight is only 80% full; while several other experience that seatcounter/amadeus shows very abundant availability in all Y subclasses, but the flight was full at the end??

Oct 21, 2009 | 7:41 am

kchika

Join Date: Jun 2006

Location: Hong Kong

Programs: No longer Diamond and missing the good old days of CX

Posts: 1,521

Unless you know someone who works for CX, there is no way you could find out exactly how heavily overbooked the flight is (or isn't). Seatcounter and ExpertFlyer use the US as the point of sale, which is why their availabilities may not be identical from CX's system.

Oct 21, 2009 | 8:28 am

#10

Werckmeister

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: BKK

Programs: TK Elite Plus, QR Gold, IHG Gold

Posts: 203

Quote:

Originally Posted by cy1978hk

Unfortunately only first-hand experience helps... (or if you know a CX staff). If you fly a certain route long enough then you will have a general idea of how full each flight may be.