Birthday Upgrade?
Mar 17, 2019, 12:35 pm
#586
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Are you an MPC member or AA? (just going by your FT profile). If AA, there definitely won't be a birthday upgrade. Op-up is possible, but birthday is a zero. The birthday upgrade is only for MPC members.
Mar 17, 2019, 1:01 pm
#587
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,752
Generally, is it for travel on actual day of, or within, say, several days one's b'day? I would assume, aside from availability, the higher the MPC tier, the higher the probability.
Mar 17, 2019, 1:18 pm
#588
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
The only things I'm sure of is a.) it's not for the partner programs, aka it's MPC only, and b.) higher status does seem to matter on here. Diamond definitely gets them on space-available basis. I think Golds do but seems more sporadic and there have been reported folks reporting back here. Unsure about Silvers. Green definitely not.
Mar 17, 2019, 8:57 pm
#589
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: CX Diamond / OWE
Posts: 277
The only things I'm sure of is a.) it's not for the partner programs, aka it's MPC only, and b.) higher status does seem to matter on here. Diamond definitely gets them on space-available basis. I think Golds do but seems more sporadic and there have been reported folks reporting back here. Unsure about Silvers. Green definitely not.
Mar 18, 2019, 12:39 am
#590
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX Diamond, BA Gold, *A Silver, Accor Diamond
Posts: 345
In 17 years of being Diamond, I'd never travelled on my birthday - until last weekend. Since I knew that it existed in theory I checked A class availability on the flight I was on (New York to Hong Kong in business with my wife), no space available so I assumed nothing would happen and carried on as normal. When we showed up at checkin, I was proactively told that there was an upgrade to first for me and also for my wife who is also Diamond and had (unknowingly) gone through a milestone. They didn't confirm them until the gate (I guess in case two high fare-paying passengers showed up unexpectedly) but it was a very nice flight. On the flight out to NY I'd also been given an upgrade to first which was a surprise (and I gave it to my wife because I'm generally quite happy in the mini-cabin and the snack box is better!) but I'd tried to use upgrade vouchers for that flight only to be told that there were no seats available in first.
So the moral of the story is that birthday upgrades are (broadly) real, the lack of A availability - even close in - doesn't mean that upgrades are out of the question and not being able to use the upgrade vouchers also doesn't mean that upgrades on the day won't happen. It's a nice little perk. Although now these upgrade vouchers keep coming around I find that I never use miles to upgrade from business to first and the miles keep piling up (generally on my credit card which means there's no expiration date on them) and I have to remind myself to check and see if I can use them on any flights I'm taking.
So the moral of the story is that birthday upgrades are (broadly) real, the lack of A availability - even close in - doesn't mean that upgrades are out of the question and not being able to use the upgrade vouchers also doesn't mean that upgrades on the day won't happen. It's a nice little perk. Although now these upgrade vouchers keep coming around I find that I never use miles to upgrade from business to first and the miles keep piling up (generally on my credit card which means there's no expiration date on them) and I have to remind myself to check and see if I can use them on any flights I'm taking.
Mar 18, 2019, 1:18 am
#591
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: CX Diamond / OWE
Posts: 277
In 17 years of being Diamond, I'd never travelled on my birthday - until last weekend. Since I knew that it existed in theory I checked A class availability on the flight I was on (New York to Hong Kong in business with my wife), no space available so I assumed nothing would happen and carried on as normal. When we showed up at checkin, I was proactively told that there was an upgrade to first for me and also for my wife who is also Diamond and had (unknowingly) gone through a milestone. They didn't confirm them until the gate (I guess in case two high fare-paying passengers showed up unexpectedly) but it was a very nice flight. On the flight out to NY I'd also been given an upgrade to first which was a surprise (and I gave it to my wife because I'm generally quite happy in the mini-cabin and the snack box is better!) but I'd tried to use upgrade vouchers for that flight only to be told that there were no seats available in first.
So the moral of the story is that birthday upgrades are (broadly) real, the lack of A availability - even close in - doesn't mean that upgrades are out of the question and not being able to use the upgrade vouchers also doesn't mean that upgrades on the day won't happen. It's a nice little perk. Although now these upgrade vouchers keep coming around I find that I never use miles to upgrade from business to first and the miles keep piling up (generally on my credit card which means there's no expiration date on them) and I have to remind myself to check and see if I can use them on any flights I'm taking.
So the moral of the story is that birthday upgrades are (broadly) real, the lack of A availability - even close in - doesn't mean that upgrades are out of the question and not being able to use the upgrade vouchers also doesn't mean that upgrades on the day won't happen. It's a nice little perk. Although now these upgrade vouchers keep coming around I find that I never use miles to upgrade from business to first and the miles keep piling up (generally on my credit card which means there's no expiration date on them) and I have to remind myself to check and see if I can use them on any flights I'm taking.
Mar 18, 2019, 5:46 am
#593
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 58
+1. Last year I travelled on a flight that was scheduled 20min after my birthday. Didn't get an upgrade. Although the ISM "saved" last two rows of three seats on a farily full A330 for me and my wife by placing crew materials across them, which was a very nice gesture.
Apr 28, 2019, 10:40 pm
#596
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: CX Diamond / OWE
Posts: 277
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.It'll be a good data point to have.
Apr 28, 2019, 11:30 pm
#597
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Taiwan
Programs: CX DM (OWE), Accor Gold
Posts: 379
Got upgraded to J and had a birthday card onbaord.
However, you depart from SYD and not sure outstation would do this too.
Good luck and please do come back and update this..
Apr 29, 2019, 6:21 am
#599
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SIN
Programs: CX DM, SQ KF Gold
Posts: 980
Not sure about SYD, but I got upgraded Y->J together with the Mrs as a GO when I flew SIN-BKK on my birthday two years ago.