Data points within last 10 months, all from Y/Y+ to J:
HKG-LAX: waitlist cleared around 2 months before departure
HKG-YVR: waitlist never cleared though flight was open up until day of departure. Upgrade confirmed at check-in
LAX-HKG: waitlist never cleared. Flight about 85-90% full in J. Upgrade requested at check-in desk and confirmed at gate.
HKG-HKT-HKG: waitlist cleared about 1-2 months before departure

BIrthday upgrade still available?
 

Does CX still offer birthday upgrade? If yes, does it make any difference if you are on revenue ticket or redemption ticket? For the 5-6 consecutive years pre-pandemic, I always got birthday upgrades, though they did not always offer it automatically and voluntarily. Sometimes I had to ask/remind them but if spaces were available then, they always gave me an upgrade ( I was Gold/Diamond then).

See my post 3 months ago: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cath...l#post35169768

New to this thread, is it possible to upgrade from PEY to J if the fare class is E? I checked CX website that it is not eligible for “bookable upgrades” but not sure if it means upgrade at counter is also not eligible.

Do you mean upgrade at counter using cash or miles? If using miles, no.

How about using cash? I haven’t done this before and I saw some youtube videos that you have to wait for the check-in counter to open and ask for an upgrade.

If you are willing to pay cash then the underlying ticket should not matter as much. CX does not have a published policy on airport cash upgrades though. Only limited anecdotal data points are occasionally reported here. Don't expect it to be cheap. It could just be calculating the difference between your original ticket and the business class fare. Airport agents may also not have enough time to process if you arrive close to check-in cut-off. You may as well try to buy a Business class ticket straightaway or change your existing ticket to a Business one. Availability may be better.

Hi All

Does Cathay Pacific do any complimentary upgrade from Oneword emerald members. Planning to book DEL - HKG - DPS and desire to get upgraded on the DEL - HKG leg. i dont have an membership with Cathey Pacific but do have AA miles and Plat-pro status. The other option is go BOM - CMB - KUL - DPS on Malaysian Airways

Thanks
Prem

No. Your only chance is op-up if the lower cabin is oversold. I believe MH will not give you any kind of complimentary upgrade, either.

I disagree. I was in the exact scenario last year whereby I had a PE ticket in a booking class which was ineligible for an upgrade.

I arrived at the check in desk well in advance and asked if I could upgrade with miles. Check-in agent said we could first pay a small fee to upgrade the fare class itself to an eligible PE fare class, and then pay the corresponding difference in Asia Miles to upgrade to Business.

She was very helpful in spending half an hour to contact back office/MPC to process this - but maybe I was just lucky that time.

Sure, of course you can pay to upgrade an E class ticket to a R class one by paying the fare difference and penalty (if applicable). Then, you can use miles to upgrade from an R class ticket if a business seat is available. In this case, you used cash and miles, not miles alone. When I said, "If using miles, no," of course I meant using miles alone, not changing the underlying revenue ticket to a different class first.

Work is sending me an economy light ticket for travel later in August. When purchased can I manage my booking online and upgrade myself to business using my credit card? The ac is a three class a350 with PE, if that makes a difference re upgrade.

Possibly, at counter, like kevinchoi1997 above

Umm, I don't think you can do that on MMB, but you can potentially call CX and ask to pay the difference to Business class, change fee, and service fee (if originally a TA ticket).

LAX-HKG Mileage Upgrades
 

Flying LAX-HKG on Sept 3rd, booked in R, waitlisted for AM upgrade.

Any recent anecdotal references on these upgrades?

I know outright mileage redemptions are scarce (to say the least), but hopefully mileage upgrades are still happening if J seats remain open. (Flight is currently J9C9D0).