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
Jun 24, 2018, 9:32 am
#856
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SIN
Programs: KF, MPC, BAEC // Bonvoy, WoH, Honors
Posts: 1,464
you have status presumably.
The rear J section is being sold as Y. This is somewhat common for a few KA routes where Y class demand / yield optimization requires more Y seats than the plane has on board. KA620/621 come to mind as frequently done this way, and the forward F cabin is opened for J elites.
The split J cabin on the 33R config helps permit this dynamic.
The rear J section is being sold as Y. This is somewhat common for a few KA routes where Y class demand / yield optimization requires more Y seats than the plane has on board. KA620/621 come to mind as frequently done this way, and the forward F cabin is opened for J elites.
The split J cabin on the 33R config helps permit this dynamic.
Is there any risk we'll get bumped back into random seats in the presumably full Y cabin closer to departure (Thursday)?
Jun 24, 2018, 6:05 pm
#857
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Low risk except for aircraft swap.
Jun 24, 2018, 9:03 pm
#858
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 4
Long time lurker, first time poster. Hoping for some guidance on the possibility of upgrading using Asia Miles on an upcoming trip.
A few months ago partner and I bought V and S class tickets from HK to Australia in December. We're now wondering if we could waitlist J by calling the Marco Polo hotline (we're both super lowly greens). Do we have to pay for the booking class difference before waitlisting?
Any advice would be appreciated!
A few months ago partner and I bought V and S class tickets from HK to Australia in December. We're now wondering if we could waitlist J by calling the Marco Polo hotline (we're both super lowly greens). Do we have to pay for the booking class difference before waitlisting?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Jun 24, 2018, 9:32 pm
#859
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Long time lurker, first time poster. Hoping for some guidance on the possibility of upgrading using Asia Miles on an upcoming trip.
A few months ago partner and I bought V and S class tickets from HK to Australia in December. We're now wondering if we could waitlist J by calling the Marco Polo hotline (we're both super lowly greens). Do we have to pay for the booking class difference before waitlisting?
Any advice would be appreciated!
A few months ago partner and I bought V and S class tickets from HK to Australia in December. We're now wondering if we could waitlist J by calling the Marco Polo hotline (we're both super lowly greens). Do we have to pay for the booking class difference before waitlisting?
Any advice would be appreciated!
unfortunately, you have two problems.
1.) I don't think MPC will permit you to waitlist for the award upgrade without holding the proper subclass first.
2.) I'm not sure about V, but definitely S class will have restrictions / penalties that probably make it impossible to upfare without serious haggling (and even then, I'm not sure if possible). The general response they will give you is you must pay whatever refund penalty and rebook in the new class.
Jun 24, 2018, 10:33 pm
#860
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 4
welcome to the forum.
unfortunately, you have two problems.
1.) I don't think MPC will permit you to waitlist for the award upgrade without holding the proper subclass first.
2.) I'm not sure about V, but definitely S class will have restrictions / penalties that probably make it impossible to upfare without serious haggling (and even then, I'm not sure if possible). The general response they will give you is you must pay whatever refund penalty and rebook in the new class.
unfortunately, you have two problems.
1.) I don't think MPC will permit you to waitlist for the award upgrade without holding the proper subclass first.
2.) I'm not sure about V, but definitely S class will have restrictions / penalties that probably make it impossible to upfare without serious haggling (and even then, I'm not sure if possible). The general response they will give you is you must pay whatever refund penalty and rebook in the new class.
Jun 24, 2018, 10:37 pm
#861
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
You cannot upgrade any Y sub-fare class to J on a route with PEY, which is basically every medium and long-haul route. So the best you could do is Y->PEY.
But even if you could, only Y, B, H, K and M are eligible for upgrade using Asia Miles.
S is a heavily discounted ticket. As part of the "deal" for selling you this type of ticket, they're *usually* nonrefundable. This means even upgrading it to a higher sub-fare class is not possible.
Jun 25, 2018, 12:16 am
#862
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 4
Actually, there is more just to be clear as to why this isn't possible.
You cannot upgrade any Y sub-fare class to J on a route with PEY, which is basically every medium and long-haul route. So the best you could do is Y->PEY.
But even if you could, only Y, B, H, K and M are eligible for upgrade using Asia Miles.
S is a heavily discounted ticket. As part of the "deal" for selling you this type of ticket, they're *usually* nonrefundable. This means even upgrading it to a higher sub-fare class is not possible.
You cannot upgrade any Y sub-fare class to J on a route with PEY, which is basically every medium and long-haul route. So the best you could do is Y->PEY.
But even if you could, only Y, B, H, K and M are eligible for upgrade using Asia Miles.
S is a heavily discounted ticket. As part of the "deal" for selling you this type of ticket, they're *usually* nonrefundable. This means even upgrading it to a higher sub-fare class is not possible.
Jun 25, 2018, 12:29 am
#863
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BA SL, CX GR, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 581
Thanks for explaining things in detail. Question about only being able to upgrade Y->PEY: a search on Asia Miles website indicates a one-way upgrade from economy to business for HKG to SYD is 28k miles. So that is not do-able in practice? (sorry would've included a screen cap but couldn't since I'm a new member).
As explained by others, only the higher fare classes are eligible for upgrade with miles. IMO it doesn’t worth upgrading as the price of those tickets could be quite high already.
Jun 25, 2018, 12:45 am
#864
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Thanks for explaining things in detail. Question about only being able to upgrade Y->PEY: a search on Asia Miles website indicates a one-way upgrade from economy to business for HKG to SYD is 28k miles. So that is not do-able in practice? (sorry would've included a screen cap but couldn't since I'm a new member).
Only 1 class upgrades are allowed. PEY exists on all flights to Australia, without exception.
It's black and white. Zero chance, sorry.
(and unfortunately, it's also not possible for the other reasons above).
Jun 25, 2018, 12:53 am
#865
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 4
Unfortunately it would not be possible even the chart shows the miles for Y to J upgrade. Before the revamp on 22/6, there was a note stating that Y to J is only permissible on flights without PEY. Not sure if this sentence is still there in the revamped website, but this rule is still in place.
As explained by others, only the higher fare classes are eligible for upgrade with miles. IMO it doesn’t worth upgrading as the price of those tickets could be quite high already.
Jun 27, 2018, 3:34 pm
#866
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 16
My mother was booked into PEY - but was reissued a new boarding pass for a seat in business (she was apparently offered the seat because the recline for her own was broken). Any idea if she would be allowed into the lounges (at HKG if that matters) with her new boarding pass?
Jun 27, 2018, 3:47 pm
#867
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
My mother was booked into PEY - but was reissued a new boarding pass for a seat in business (she was apparently offered the seat because the recline for her own was broken). Any idea if she would be allowed into the lounges (at HKG if that matters) with her new boarding pass?
Practically, it may very well work.
She's most likely to be tripped up when they scan her BP and they realize she's op up. Because she won't be issued a lounge invite so that's how she'll have to gain entry, via scan as is the case with anyone lacking an invite (with the lounge invite, you just hand to them in lieu of a scan). Worth a shot though if she doesn't have any qualms about being rejected.
Jun 27, 2018, 3:52 pm
#868
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 16
Technically she's not allowed in. Op-ups do not get lounge privileges.
Practically, it may very well work.
She's most likely to be tripped up when they scan her BP and they realize she's op up. Because she won't be issued a lounge invite so that's how she'll have to gain entry, via scan as is the case with anyone lacking an invite (with the lounge invite, you just hand to them in lieu of a scan). Worth a shot though if she doesn't have any qualms about being rejected.
Practically, it may very well work.
She's most likely to be tripped up when they scan her BP and they realize she's op up. Because she won't be issued a lounge invite so that's how she'll have to gain entry, via scan as is the case with anyone lacking an invite (with the lounge invite, you just hand to them in lieu of a scan). Worth a shot though if she doesn't have any qualms about being rejected.
I figure it might be worth a shot and since my grandmother who is traveling with her (booked into Business) was going to head there anyways, it would be worth it for her to try to scan her boarding pass.
Jun 27, 2018, 6:27 pm
#869
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BA SL, CX GR, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 581
My mother was booked into PEY - but was reissued a new boarding pass for a seat in business (she was apparently offered the seat because the recline for her own was broken). Any idea if she would be allowed into the lounges (at HKG if that matters) with her new boarding pass?
However, you may get a shot in the Qantas lounge in HKG as I’m not sure if their system can distinguish op up of CX.
Jun 27, 2018, 7:15 pm
#870
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: SYD/PEK
Programs: MPC CXGO, IHG RA
Posts: 104
Not sure if that's only my personal experience, but when I went to the Bridge, I'd say 30% of the time they didn't scan my BP especially when there were many people waiting to be admitted. (Maybe due to status so they don't need to scan the bp to confirm invitation.)
At other lounges they scan my BP every single time.
At other lounges they scan my BP every single time.