Last year, I checked in at the airport for CX107 HKG - AKL. When I had booked the flight in economy I had asked my agent to request a seat near the back, but at check-in I asked if I could get a seat further foward in the cabin. The lady at check-in said the flight was reasonably full but that she would check to see if she could move me. When she started her sentence with "I'm sorry,....." I thought no problem, I'll stick with my original seat. Then, she continued with "....yes, the flight is full tonight Sir, so I'll give you a business class seat. Would you like an aisle or window seat?" After I realised that she really was speaking to me, I stuttered "window, please", still in shock. I was most surprised, as I had not flown CX for many many years and had not joined Marco Polo yet. I guess I was just lucky. Almost needless to say, after such a good impression I fly CX whenever I can.

I'm back from a HKG-FRA trip today. I was travelling on a Q class ticket, part of a holiday package. The ticket must be very low in value, because I don't get any miles. During boarding the agent told me "there is a seat change for you sir". The lady handed me my new boarding pass with a big smile, which showed row 81 instead of 36, meaning I got upgraded to J. When I went through the cabin later in the night I saw, that Y was probably completely full, but I don't know if it was overbooked. So, why did I get this lovely upgrade? Because it was my first trip (not counting the opposite direction 4 days earlier) on CX? I'm only an EC Silver.

Just got upgraded (again) on the HKG-NRT portion. Plane to the gills, didn't refuse. I like CX. Strangely, in many years as CO Plat, I don't recall a single instance of something like this happening in an international flight with BF. Since I've switched to AA/CX, I'd say I've been op-upgraded a noticeable number of times.

It gets curiouser and curioser. Was upgraded today to J on ICN-HKG. Now, the best part is that I was traveling with my MPC Green number, not my AA EXP/Emerald number. Aha! you say, but they check the names, and they figured I am the same person. Nope, my MPC number and my AA number have different names and addresses, in different countries, no less.

And to complete the mystery, the plane was pretty full, but not completely sold out. There were a few seats left in the back (checked, actually).

As an infrequent reader of the CX board and someone who has not yet had the privilege of flying CX, I'm taking away from this thread the impression that operational upgrades happen all the time. Probably not true, but I'm now anxious to take my OW Emerald status for a ride on CX and see what happens.

don't hold your breath

Quite. I've had 1 J to F in 18 months (about 20 flights)

second that. the last time I was Y-J upgraded was at my second CX flight when I was still Green MPC. Got me hooked and I have been flying paid upstairs ever since. I guess the baiting scheme works

It seems that I am not as lucky as some others are with upgardes. I am Britsih Airways Gold and AAdvantage Execuitive Platinum, and fly Cathay regularly in business class. I have never received an operational upgrade. However, I once had a broken seat and wrote a complaint which resulted in an upgrade coupon sent from the Cathay office in the US. Cathay first is very good!
I am flying Cathay form Bangkok to Hong Kong and onwards to Los Angeles on Monday. Hope I get upgraded!

Most upgrades that are talked about here, and which actually happens (albeit infrequently), is Y->J upgrades due to oversell. It is very unlikely (albeit not "never") for J->F to occur, which requires:

1) Y/J to be oversold
2) Free space in F
3) There are still remaining F seats after CX upgrades MPC Diamond/Gold.

For this to occur all at the same time, I'd say your luck is limited.

I took 889 JFK-HKG a couple of weeks ago. I was on an award J ticket issued by BA. I, along with a few other passengers, was paged in the BA F lounge at JFK. I was then given a F boarding pass. After boarding, I noticed the F cabin was full but the J cabin downstairs had only a few pax. (It was a NBC aircraft.)

At YVR, only one F pax deplaned but his seat was filled by another pax. From there onward, the J cabin downstairs looked quite full.

On BKK-SIN about a week ago, I was going to take CX on a full-fare J ticket. CX already upgraded me to F by 7 a.m. that day. (I didn't take that flight as I wanted to fly a bit early and took SQ in J spacebed.)

I have also been upgraded to F even on an award Y ticket a few months ago....

Lucky you Chiangi-san,

Is the note on your file saying "upgrade your next flight segment" still there? Someone up there must like you!

Chiangi, I did the BKK-SGP leg on the 11th Nov. Was booked in Y, and got given a J pass on check-in as it was oversold. Was sitting comfortably in my J seat sipping my pre-flight champagne when the pursor came up to me and said there'd been a mistake and I should be in F! Weird thing - was my second flight since making MPC Gold, my first ever upgrade on CX, and was a "double"! Needless to say, I wished that 2 hour flight could have been 12... Oh, and I've been credited with miles as though I had paid F, although no doubt having posted this here, they'll be taken away now

I had one two days ago KUL-HKG from Y to J. I didn't ask for it and I have no status with CX. I wonder how or why this happened because a whole lot of other people aboard would have trumped me on the pecking order. I wasn't even on a full Y ticket for that matter. Not that I'm ungrateful. Just perplexed.

Even for Diamond MPC members, it is not a given that we will be upgraded although if a flight is showing zero in Y and J, the chances are good.

I've been left in economy when I purchased an economy ticket at times, and yet, the lucky ones, when I've been upgraded on the long hauls like YVR-HKG-YVR on a coach ticket, I thank CX profusely.

I've never experienced a double upgrade .. yet although they do happen very rarely. It's also nice to know CX ground staff (in asia) personally because they can override your priority in the UG ladder.