CX upgrade priority query
 

Greetings to everyone who frequents this board. I've not posted here before but am, rather humbly, seeking your advice on a query to do with upgrade priority on CX.

Through my status on BA, I'm able to gift a BA Gold (OWE) card to my girlfriend, who is currently a CX Gold. She flies from HK on CX frequently and my sense was that she would be best to hide her CX Gold card in a drawer somewhere and to use the BA Gold card and FF number on her bookings as she would have a better chance of being op-uped as a BA OWE member than a CX OWS member. To be honest, this view was only forged through my own experiences of being upgraded far more frequently on CX than I am on BA!

Obviously the alternative would be for her to keep her CX status in the booking, and just to use the BA card to access first class check-in/lounges etc.

Which do you think would be the preferred approach?

Any insight greatly appreciated!

It's noble thinking but the logic doesn't work here!

Cx op priority is:

1) CX DM
2) CX GO
3) Partner OWE
4) Etc etc

Also bear in mind that if the flight isn't full, opup may not happen

If you somehow know there will be a high chance of OPUP then keep CXGO in booking and use BA to access the F lounge as you said.

If you know that the load is light and opup chance is nil, then Id say keep BA for both, as time and again the onboard service for Emeralds is superior than for CXGO's.

Obviously she will also need to requalify though, right? So you should think about that part...

Thanks for the clarification. This was very much just about maximising the possibility of an op-up, rather than expecting one. It definitely seems like the best idea is to just use the BA status to access the first class benefits on the ground, which I think would be valued more than being treated differently by the cabin crew on board.

Looking at the priority that CX adopts, and having myself been upgraded J-->F on 4 of my last 8 sectors between Europe and Hong Kong in the last 7 months, I can only conclude that I have been EXTREMELY lucky!

Correct,except that staff goes belowe CX GO and above partner OWE.

You meant to say "opup will not happen" right?

Also, I think OWE is not included if there is a 'sweep' for op up at T-48/24 OLCI because the online system cannot distinguish between OWE/S/R. In those cases, SL will be more advantaged than OWE (please correct if this is contrary to your experience).

Ah yes, my bad. It goes DM->GO->Staff->OWE->etc. etc.

Ah yes, this is also correct. A ground agent explained something to this extent to me a few years ago. Basically if op-up happens super early, it sweeps all the MPC categories. Neither OWE nor OWS are utilised.

if there are two op-ups needs to be done, would a DM+SL travelling together been chosen or 2 GO pax be chosen? Anyone know?

In the old system, Should be the DM and the higher GO (one who checked in earlier). Have had something similar (though not exactly the same), 2 or more needed to be p-upped J->F on SFO-HKG, I got one at the check in counter but my GO Wife (on the same booking) did not, since 'we have to process other DMs first'. They did suggest redeeming an instant award, or just waiting in case 'she got lucky'. (She did)

Not sure how the 'new' system changes this.

Since CX changed to a CIV-type score I haven't had a single upgrade as a BAEC member. Before that i was probably on a 25% hit rate, and more like 50% from PE to J. Now, even if on the same booking as my DM girlfriend, when they offer her an upgrade they refuse me.

I would recommend your girlfriend keeps using the CX Gold card.

I am pretty sure CIV-score is a major factor nowadays. I have many personal experiences that as DM I was passed over for an upgrade C to F to my friend (on the same flight), who is flying much more than I have with Cathay Pacific in both C and F class (I fly mostly C class and rarely F, and I don't always fly Cathay but he tries to fly exclusively Cathay). He is OWE.

Wow. Great anecdote. I didn't realize these types of things were happening.

I see... So it means DM + SL will not make the SL over take the GOs.

I used "may" as there appears to be been anecdotal evidence where I have seen op up (probably for DMs) when a lower cabin isn't full

I have seen that before, quite commonly on regional but never on long haul. Having said that the person in question probably spends close to $100k per year on CX so will have a high CIV score.

Very interesting, not least because there seem to be quite different data points for Oneworld status holders reported on this thread. It's certainly making me re-think my own recent experiences.

If the CX CIV score system can accommodate non-MPC members, it would be interesting to know whether -
i) Oneworld status passengers who hold status higher than 'vanilla' Emerald are automatically accorded higher CIV scores by CX on their bookings - maybe equivalent to those of (or above) CX Diamond. That might explain why I've continued to receive such a high percentage of upgrades on busy, status heavy flights where I wouldn't thought I would have had a sniff of an op-up otherwise, or
ii) CIV scores for Oneworld members are simply linked to their previous travel history on CX and not connected to status at all. I always fly J on CX, but don't fly frequently on the airline.

I'm guessing we'll never have a firm answer to this, given that it would obviously be commercially sensitive information.

On BA, I also don't think anyone knows quite what happens with passengers who hold high status with other Oneworld programmes. Seems this is now a pertinent question for those flying on CX too.

The DM status would take priority.
Similar to the DM+SL pax trying to access a lounge. They don't turn you away because 1 pax is silver!

I always wondered about this as there were a couple of times where I was flying with a friend who was MPGR who got upgraded while I entered my AA-SAPH number and didn't... I still have Silver until a couple of months but trying to get out of MPC.. Bad move as I fly CX mostly?

I think this means there are two 'versions' of op ups:

1) A ton of people OLCI, the flight is clearly overbooked (in some cabin). Then the system performs cabin roll automatically before airport counter opens. Op up priority goes like DM GO SL GR ID etc. OW elites can only try their luck at the airport.

2) The flight is overbooked number wise but the situation is not clear until it is under airport control. At some arbitrary time within that (e.g. T-90) it is clear that the flight is overbooked. Then airport control does op ups according to the order we are all familiar with here.

I think I can claim that 1) has happened to me before. I was on a flight, booked in PEY, that seemt oversold (something like W3 R2 E0 Y2 B1 H0...). J is very light. The seat map was totally filled in PEY and Y at T-72 as those Xs started popping up. I OLCI as normal and think hmm..., should be ok when at airport. (I almost get 'regularly' op up'd on this flight from PEY to J.) Then at T-8, the morning before I set off, to my surprise PEY became very empty (10+ seats), and a corresponding amount of seats is filled in J. But, no dice for me. I only snagged the last op up (and the only at-airport op up) because they sold a discounted counter upgrade for a Y pax into PEY. Later in the flight, I saw in the J seating plan, there were DM GO SL GR and ID in the op up list.

Thanks for that and makes sense.

That one time my colleague actually got upgraded from Y to J was through the magic beep at the gate. He was awfully smirking at me as he knew I had status after bringing him to the lounge. A different colleague (MPGR also) got upgraded the normal route at the check-in counter while I remained in cattle class. I guess it's hard to really understand if it is luck or science. I have been flying HKG-MNL for work heavily lately and have noticed is an op-up heavy route (about 20% for me) so this whole topic intrigues me as I have both OW and CX status and now dumbfounded what to use (and credit)...

Makes sense. As OWE I have only ever been upgraded at the gate. My DM girlfriend always gets upgraded at check-in.

AS OWE I recieved upgrades before checkin opens, in the lounge (think when counter checkin comes to an end) and also at the gate. This includes also double upgrades intra Asia.
That means at the gate is not the only way for that.

I have never been upgraded before as a CX Gold, but I have upgraded before as an OWE.

Also, I received better treatment as an OWE, than CX Gold.

That is my experience, might be different from others.

that's the same observation i have as well. OWE are definitely treated better than MPC GO which is pretty sad.

what's worse is that i've been on the upgrade wait list for 9 months and still can't get the upgrade to clear whereas my AA EXP friend was able to secure a J seat a month ago.

I booked CX870 HKG-SFO in PEY (E) and CX841 JFK-HKG also in PEY (E). For both sectors, I was upgraded. For CX870, I was only informed that I got upgraded when boarding began. When I handed my BP to gate agent, she immediately replaced it with a new BP and said "you have a new seat arrangement. enjoy your flight!". I was greeted by ISM and she escorted me to my seat (12A) and said "Mr. rienhart87, my name is XXX. thank you for being MP member. if you need anything, please let me or my team know". Then FP came and brought a bottle of water for me.

For CX841, it was even stranger. I checked-in, check-in staff told me the flight is almost full but not quite. When boarding began, I gave my BP to gate agent, nothing happened. I thought, "hey, maybe you already got your one lucky strike. this time you should just be grateful and enjoy the flight in PEY". So I sat down on my assigned seat (32K). Then a gentleman came and walked to economy class cabin. The very same gentleman came again and sat next to me in about 10 mins. We greeted each other and he told me he's a DM and just got upgraded to PEY. I told him that I am only a low SL so no chance for me to get upgraded for this flight. I said I was already upgraded on my way to SFO. Then lo and behold, a ground agent came to me and asked "may i see your BP please?" I gave him my BP and the agent went away for like 5 minutes. He then returned and said "well Mr. rienhart87, you are clearly sitting in the wrong seat. you should be upfront seat 22A, left side of the cabin".

You should see the face of the DM gentleman next to me when he realized I got upgraded again to J.....

I moved to 22A right away and while I was settling down, the ISM and Senior Purser were greeting elite passengers. ISM greeted 21A and 23A while SP greeted me. 21A and 23A received a bottle of water and extra pillow. I didn't get anything. Throughout the flight, i was greeted by name and before landing, SP came again to thank me for being MP member.

So, can anyone explain to me when did the two upgrades happen in my two flights? I am still very curious

Both your op ups are the type of 'at-airport-control' upgrades

For your 841 upgrade, it is possible that
1) Someone (another DM? last minute overbooked Y? ID tickets finally cleared to board?) needed your 32K seat.
2) They were doing a seat block for the DM (unlikely)
3) Your seat is inoperative (highly unlikely)

Personally, I've been upgraded on board as a result of some combination of 1) and 2) before. And I was a OWS at that time.

As for why you and not the DM? You were originally in PEY, the DM was in Y, so op up-ing the DM from Y to PEY is independent of op up-ing you from PEY to J

For op-ups, 99% of the time is Y to W, W to J or J to F....

The DM should be pleased to got upgrade to a PEY seat as he only paid for Y. Even double upgrade would normally happen step by step. I've had Y-PEY upgrade at check in, and later got upgraded again at gate to J.

Does any one has experienced Y - J or PEY/Y - F upgrade at check in?

I have, about twice in the last 6 months (Y-J) where I was handed a J ticket in the train bag drop at Central in a 77W/333 which had PEY. One to MNL and one to HND. Most of the time though my upgrade would be Y to PEY at check-in then to J in the lounge or gate.

I've had a straight Y to F upgrade at the gate before but all other double upgrades have been step by step

Never got one but was told in NRT before at check-in that I received an opup from Y to PEY and might get one later to J. Unfortunately didnt happen in the end.

I guess you have to be extremely lucky and a couple of factors have to happen.
- Heavily overbooked.
- No other members in the next cabin class, probably not even GR.
- No higher tier members who also got upgraded to the next class

I've got a friend who just joined Asia Mile before his first flight with CX and got bumped up from PEY to J.

So I guess for a Y to J op up at check in to happen, the whole PEY class needs to be full with pax either travelling together or not even with AM.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...yyer-2.html#24

My guess is that all the other elite flyers in PEY were also upgraded to J, before him. There are only 21/32/34 PEY seats, and CX could only sold less than half of them and still need the space for the Y op-ups.

Since the guarantee Y fare gone, I've been forced to used my travel agent more and I do fine they some times have a different fare class availability. I have once be able to secure a V class ticket when CX's lowest fare was only B class. How does that work?

Which route was this? Better not been long haul....

I've had a two-step Y-F upgrade on KA from PVG-HKG. Check-in at PVG was Y-J, and at the gate my BP got the magical red light and the gate agent scribbled "1A" over my seat number (no new BP at the gate).

There was only one other person in F, not an upgrade, but we both got F meals.

Same. Two step Y to F on KA900... Y booking to J at check-in... To 1G at gate (new BP)...

F was full, in standard F service, but no idea which are paid F which are op-up like me...

I haven't heard of 2-step upgrades for a long time. It is definitely not CX/KA standard procedure. In fact the only other time I heard of it was for yours truly. It was when Elite was just merged into MPC (around the beginning of 2007), and I was probably the only DM on a HKG-PEK flight while the other Elite elites were still working their way to DMs. I was op-upped at check-in and again at the gate. F was not full. I was the first one who was offered a choice for breakfast, and I had a bowl of very nice congee.

Back when CX had just introduced PE, I got a double op-up from Y to J on the HKG-ORD flight as a SL. At T-12 or so I could see from OLCI that I had been moved up to PE. At airport check-in, the agent printed my PE boarding pass, went back to her computer for a second, picked up the phone to call someone (presumably a manager; she was careful to speak in a very hushed voice), tore up my PE boarding pass, and printed out a new one for J. Needless to say, I was a very happy camper, despite being in the last row of J!