Oct 29, 2013, 4:27 am
Last edit by: ZZ100
Is it possible to buy a (cheap) upgrade on Cathay Pacific upon check-in?
The short answer is no.
Cathay, as a general rule, does not allow you to purchase last minute upgrades if there are empty seats in Y+, J or F. The only way to upgrade a ticket is to pay the fare difference between your current ticket, and an available fare class in the higher cabins. Note that if your current ticket has restrictions (cancellation fees, non-refundable) these still apply.
There are been stories of people who have been offered cheap upgrades by Cathay, but this is more an exception than a common occurrence.
If I upgrade my ticket using asia miles, do I still earn miles?
Yes, you will earn miles for the original fare class that you booked, not the upgraded cabin.
How do I get a free upgrade / operational upgrade (op-up)?
Cathay Pacific does not upgrade passengers just because there are empty seats in higher classes. Upgrades will only occur where there is overbooking in lower classes.
The order of upgrades when required is believed to be:
I am travelling on an award ticket. Will I still be considered for a free upgrade?
Yes - there are many stories of passengers on award tickets, or who upgraded a class using miles, getting (additional) upgrades.
What happens if the aircraft has 4 or 3 cabins, but is only selling Business and Economy seats?
It is likely if you have Marco Polo status, and to a lesser extent oneworld status, you may be able to sit in either First Class seats (if booked in J) or Premium Economy (if booked in Y) with service of the original cabin. There doesn't appear to be consistency yet as to how these semi-upgrades are allocated. Some people have been able to choose seats in the higher cabin during online check-in, or some will get them on request at check-in. However, there is no entitlement to these seats.
Will I get an upgrade on my Birthday, or for my membership anniversary, or for reaching xx number of lifetime club miles?
Please see this link for members' experience with these kinds of upgrades: Marco Polo Anniversary Upgrades
I want to use Asia Miles to upgrade a BA flight. How do I do this?
As of 22 June 2018, it is no longer possible to upgrade BA flights with Asia Miles.
How do I upgrade a CX flight using miles?
If you already have issued your original ticket:
If you have not made any booking yet, and you want to check availability:
If you don't receive a new e-ticket before departure, call up Marco Polo club to double check if the upgrade has been issued.
The short answer is no.
Cathay, as a general rule, does not allow you to purchase last minute upgrades if there are empty seats in Y+, J or F. The only way to upgrade a ticket is to pay the fare difference between your current ticket, and an available fare class in the higher cabins. Note that if your current ticket has restrictions (cancellation fees, non-refundable) these still apply.
There are been stories of people who have been offered cheap upgrades by Cathay, but this is more an exception than a common occurrence.
If I upgrade my ticket using asia miles, do I still earn miles?
Yes, you will earn miles for the original fare class that you booked, not the upgraded cabin.
How do I get a free upgrade / operational upgrade (op-up)?
Cathay Pacific does not upgrade passengers just because there are empty seats in higher classes. Upgrades will only occur where there is overbooking in lower classes.
The order of upgrades when required is believed to be:
- VIP (Heads of State, Government Bodies, or Canto Pop/Movie stars)
- CX Diamond Plus
- CX Diamond Invitation, Diamond
- CX Gold
- CX management staff on travel duty
- oneworld Emerald
- CX staff on duty nominees , other airline staff nominees, CX staff on personal travel
- oneworld Sapphire
- CX Silver
- oneworld Ruby
- CX Green
- Asia Miles
- Non status
I am travelling on an award ticket. Will I still be considered for a free upgrade?
Yes - there are many stories of passengers on award tickets, or who upgraded a class using miles, getting (additional) upgrades.
What happens if the aircraft has 4 or 3 cabins, but is only selling Business and Economy seats?
It is likely if you have Marco Polo status, and to a lesser extent oneworld status, you may be able to sit in either First Class seats (if booked in J) or Premium Economy (if booked in Y) with service of the original cabin. There doesn't appear to be consistency yet as to how these semi-upgrades are allocated. Some people have been able to choose seats in the higher cabin during online check-in, or some will get them on request at check-in. However, there is no entitlement to these seats.
Will I get an upgrade on my Birthday, or for my membership anniversary, or for reaching xx number of lifetime club miles?
Please see this link for members' experience with these kinds of upgrades: Marco Polo Anniversary Upgrades
I want to use Asia Miles to upgrade a BA flight. How do I do this?
As of 22 June 2018, it is no longer possible to upgrade BA flights with Asia Miles.
How do I upgrade a CX flight using miles?
If you already have issued your original ticket:
- Try upgrading using Manage My Booking on the website (not always successful)
- If self-service doesn't work, try calling Marco Polo hotline to check availability
- If there is availability, you will need to issue the upgrade immediately to secure it. They may give you a few days grace before isssuing the upgrade, but this is now rarely given.
- In a few days, or longer if they are busy, your miles will be deducted, and you will be emailed a new e-ticket with the upgrade class details on it, and your online booking for your original booking class will disappear.
If you have not made any booking yet, and you want to check availability:
- Call Marco Polo club to check for availability on the flights/dates you want, or check for normal redemption availability on the website.
- Book a revenue ticket in the class of service for which you will be paying. Do NOT do this via the website -- call a CX telephone sales number/travel agent.
- Put the booking on hold.
- Call the Marco Polo/Asia Miles Service Center. Have them book the upgrade and give you a deadline to have the ticket issued. (It's usually about 72 hours).
- Have telephone sales/travel agent issue your revenue ticket.
- Call Marco Polo/Asia Miles back. Give them the revenue ticket number against the PNR and ask them to issue your upgrade.
- In about two or three days, you'll get a new ticket with the upgrade showing.
If you don't receive a new e-ticket before departure, call up Marco Polo club to double check if the upgrade has been issued.
The Ultimate Upgrade Question thread
Jan 13, 2026 | 7:35 pm
#1531
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: CX Diamond
Posts: 212
So just to update since I'm now in YVR.
When I got to HKG i immediately went to the lounge to see if my HKG-YVR could be upgraded. Stopped by The Pier and informed them on the situation, told them that when I called CX support they told me it was confirmed, then retracted their statement. They made some calls and said that I have to wait until just before the boarding time and they will inform The Wing staff since my gate was closer to that area. Headed over there and the staff knew I was coming, and about 10mins before boarding I was told my upgrade was confirmed and completed. Great service from the staff once I was in HKG.
They also looked at my YVR-HKG route and noticed it was handled weirdly by CX support, so they looked into it for me and after the guy was on a call, he informed me that when I land in YVR and within 24 hours, the upgrade should automatically happen, which I'm happy to say I have my YVR-HKG now upgraded.
So I guess the learning lesson here is that in person HKG staff is much better than calling in lol.
When I got to HKG i immediately went to the lounge to see if my HKG-YVR could be upgraded. Stopped by The Pier and informed them on the situation, told them that when I called CX support they told me it was confirmed, then retracted their statement. They made some calls and said that I have to wait until just before the boarding time and they will inform The Wing staff since my gate was closer to that area. Headed over there and the staff knew I was coming, and about 10mins before boarding I was told my upgrade was confirmed and completed. Great service from the staff once I was in HKG.
They also looked at my YVR-HKG route and noticed it was handled weirdly by CX support, so they looked into it for me and after the guy was on a call, he informed me that when I land in YVR and within 24 hours, the upgrade should automatically happen, which I'm happy to say I have my YVR-HKG now upgraded.
So I guess the learning lesson here is that in person HKG staff is much better than calling in lol.
I have had something similar happen to me also when trying to upgrade both the outbound and inbound sectors of a flight within 24 hours of the outbound journey.
The agent helping me told me something about being able to issue the upgrade for the outbound immediately without re-issuing the ticket, but the inbound sector (because it was out of the 24/48 hour window) needed the whole ticket to be re-issued. They generally do not re-issue a ticket while sectors are being flown, so that's why my inbound sector showed as "Waitlist Confirmed" in my booking instead of upgraded. About a day after my arrival on the outbound flight (also YVR co-incidentally!), my inbound flight automatically was confirmed upgraded.
Just wanted to add in the data point as it's not really an "IT issue" but a system limitation, as it was explained to me.
Jan 29, 2026 | 11:16 am
#1532
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Miami
Programs: Bonvoy Ambassador; Hyatt Globalist; AA EXP; UA 1K
Posts: 135
I booked a last-min J seat from LHR-HKG departing in a couple of days (via my employer's travel agent) and wanted to upgrade to F.
I was unable to use any of the upgrade options online and called in. The agent told me that while there was 1 seat in F left for sale, it was not a redemption seat and thus they could not upgrade me by placing a bid or using Asia Miles (I was booked in D which is upgrade-eligible). She could not place me on the upgrade list either as it's within 48 hours.
However, she did advise me that I could ask the airport staff upon check-in to get an "instant upgrade" using Asia Miles on day of travel. I searched online and surprisingly found very little information about this - don't know if it's common practice. Wondering if folks here would know:
- Is this a guaranteed way to upgrade using Asia Miles or cash upon check-in (assuming the F seat remains open for sale)? Or at the discretion of the airport staff / inventory?
- How much $ or Asia Miles will this usually cost if available (I believe the upgrade award chart suggest 75000 miles for this route but wonder it'll be priced differently given last minute)
I put my emerald FF# from other carriers if it makes a difference (I do have enough Asia Miles in my Cathay account but only Green status).
I was unable to use any of the upgrade options online and called in. The agent told me that while there was 1 seat in F left for sale, it was not a redemption seat and thus they could not upgrade me by placing a bid or using Asia Miles (I was booked in D which is upgrade-eligible). She could not place me on the upgrade list either as it's within 48 hours.
However, she did advise me that I could ask the airport staff upon check-in to get an "instant upgrade" using Asia Miles on day of travel. I searched online and surprisingly found very little information about this - don't know if it's common practice. Wondering if folks here would know:
- Is this a guaranteed way to upgrade using Asia Miles or cash upon check-in (assuming the F seat remains open for sale)? Or at the discretion of the airport staff / inventory?
- How much $ or Asia Miles will this usually cost if available (I believe the upgrade award chart suggest 75000 miles for this route but wonder it'll be priced differently given last minute)
I put my emerald FF# from other carriers if it makes a difference (I do have enough Asia Miles in my Cathay account but only Green status).
Jan 29, 2026 | 6:16 pm
#1533
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 8,242
I booked a last-min J seat from LHR-HKG departing in a couple of days (via my employer's travel agent) and wanted to upgrade to F.
I was unable to use any of the upgrade options online and called in. The agent told me that while there was 1 seat in F left for sale, it was not a redemption seat and thus they could not upgrade me by placing a bid or using Asia Miles (I was booked in D which is upgrade-eligible). She could not place me on the upgrade list either as it's within 48 hours.
However, she did advise me that I could ask the airport staff upon check-in to get an "instant upgrade" using Asia Miles on day of travel. I searched online and surprisingly found very little information about this - don't know if it's common practice. Wondering if folks here would know:
- Is this a guaranteed way to upgrade using Asia Miles or cash upon check-in (assuming the F seat remains open for sale)? Or at the discretion of the airport staff / inventory?
- How much $ or Asia Miles will this usually cost if available (I believe the upgrade award chart suggest 75000 miles for this route but wonder it'll be priced differently given last minute)
I put my emerald FF# from other carriers if it makes a difference (I do have enough Asia Miles in my Cathay account but only Green status).
I was unable to use any of the upgrade options online and called in. The agent told me that while there was 1 seat in F left for sale, it was not a redemption seat and thus they could not upgrade me by placing a bid or using Asia Miles (I was booked in D which is upgrade-eligible). She could not place me on the upgrade list either as it's within 48 hours.
However, she did advise me that I could ask the airport staff upon check-in to get an "instant upgrade" using Asia Miles on day of travel. I searched online and surprisingly found very little information about this - don't know if it's common practice. Wondering if folks here would know:
- Is this a guaranteed way to upgrade using Asia Miles or cash upon check-in (assuming the F seat remains open for sale)? Or at the discretion of the airport staff / inventory?
- How much $ or Asia Miles will this usually cost if available (I believe the upgrade award chart suggest 75000 miles for this route but wonder it'll be priced differently given last minute)
I put my emerald FF# from other carriers if it makes a difference (I do have enough Asia Miles in my Cathay account but only Green status).
The upgrade cert situation, for me at least, became borderline useless sometimes in the last few years J->F.
Feb 2, 2026 | 11:22 am
#1534
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,638
How does CX deal with upgrading only one leg of a two-leg journey, where there is U availability only on one of the flights?
For example, if I have booked DXB-HKG-TYO which would typically be married segments, and only DXB-HKG has U availability, are they able to process the upgrade without upgrading HKG-TYO or is it only possible when both flights are available in U?
Grateful for the feedback and data points. Thanks!
For example, if I have booked DXB-HKG-TYO which would typically be married segments, and only DXB-HKG has U availability, are they able to process the upgrade without upgrading HKG-TYO or is it only possible when both flights are available in U?
Grateful for the feedback and data points. Thanks!
Feb 2, 2026 | 6:15 pm
#1535
Join Date: Dec 2024
Posts: 178
How does CX deal with upgrading only one leg of a two-leg journey, where there is U availability only on one of the flights?
For example, if I have booked DXB-HKG-TYO which would typically be married segments, and only DXB-HKG has U availability, are they able to process the upgrade without upgrading HKG-TYO or is it only possible when both flights are available in U?
Grateful for the feedback and data points. Thanks!
For example, if I have booked DXB-HKG-TYO which would typically be married segments, and only DXB-HKG has U availability, are they able to process the upgrade without upgrading HKG-TYO or is it only possible when both flights are available in U?
Grateful for the feedback and data points. Thanks!
Feb 10, 2026 | 7:07 pm
#1537
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: HKG, EXT, AGP
Programs: CX Gold (OW Sapphire), APEC
Posts: 171
Hi all,
I have used miles to upgrade from an R-class PY ticket to J on a particular flight. On Manage my booking, the fare code it now shows is U, and my original PY seat and points earning information are no longer present. Will I have to reach out to the airline to claim the miles and points that came with my R-class ticket in the days after my flight? Or will the points and miles be credited automatically?
I have used miles to upgrade from an R-class PY ticket to J on a particular flight. On Manage my booking, the fare code it now shows is U, and my original PY seat and points earning information are no longer present. Will I have to reach out to the airline to claim the miles and points that came with my R-class ticket in the days after my flight? Or will the points and miles be credited automatically?
Can confirm that the points were not automatically credited, and the chatbot agent said this happens from time to time.
Happened twice in a row to me though, so I wonder if it is a lot more frequent than it seems.