The Ultimate Upgrade Question thread
 

This thread is to add questions that commonly come up regarding upgrade on Cathay Pacific.

Please feel free to add questions to the Wikipost at the beginning for common upgrade questions.

Great post! Might also be good to include the "upgrades" where 2 class flight is operated by a 4 class aircraft.

EDIT from sxc: This is added. Thanks for the suggestion.

very much enjoy what you're doing sxc thanks and keep it up

^

How Does One Secure a Intercontinental Advance Upgrade?
 

I'll leave it to you, sxc, to decide whether to include this in the sticky: namely, the rather convoluted process one has to go through to confirm an upgrade. In my experience, it goes like this:

1) determine the fight/date(s) you want to upgrade. (To know which ones have availability before booking, you will need KVS or something like that).

2) 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.

3) Put the booking on hold.

4) 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).

5) Call telephone sales back. Have them issue the ticket.

6) Call Marco Polo/Asia Miles back. Give them the revenue ticket number against the PNR. Ask them to queue the ticket for re-issue with the upgrade(s) confirmed.

7) In about two or three days, you'll get a new ticket with the upgrade showing.

Note that if the Marco Polo Service Center tells you that the upgrade on the date/flight you wanted isn't available, and you want to change the booking to another date where the upgrade is available, you will need to go back to your telephone sales res agent and re-book. They won't help if it's a web booking -- so don't use the web if you want to upgrade in advance.

Thanks bitterroot - updated the FAQs with some details on mechanics of upgrading with asiamiles.

just a recent observation of a DM on regional flights. Based on accounts of flight with cabin sold as PE (so 3 class, J, PE, Y). the KVS looked like this, meaning decent load in J cabin and somewhat light PE and overbooked Econ.

F9 A9 J5 C5 D5 I4 W7 R7 E5 Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0

He was initially moved to PE seat T-10 hours (we kept checking online checkin page)... T-3 hours he was subsequently moved to J cabin. According to belief of "one-class upgrade only", it would have meant entire PE pax were moved to J before my DM friend (with W7R7E5 type of load, it suggest at least 10-15 occupied paid PE pax) was able to score a "double upgrade" from Y to J. But I have different theory...

I think, strictly for purpose of op-ups whether regional/long-haul CX will look at PE and Economy as a same cabin class... so first thing they do is jiggle around and move economy DM/Golds to PE seats like they would always do... then when the entire PE+Y cabin combined together is full and requires an "op-up", they will select the lucky guy from the combined pack, treating as one large cabin. Thus a Gold in PE holding W fare would rank after DM on V-class. This also consistent with previous observation on a SYD route when DM were put straight to J class from Y cabin on a full PE/Y cabin.

Summary (awaiting other case study)
if DM is to travel on Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0 type of a flight, don't bother booking PE for hoping of op-up, just force yourself in with V-class gurantee and let them pick you to sit at J ahead of others holding PE.

(this guy scored double upgrade on both inbound/outbound for his weekend getaway)

This probably makes sense, as it's less work to do it this way also.

However, if this was a flight sold as J/PE/Y why is there F/A class in KVS?

methinks F cabin would be irrelevant in looking into the whole situation if this was what OP implied. (J-F opup would still function like normal)

sorry should have included "F" cabin but i missed it from the overall idea of referring to Y>J op ups

as kaka mentions J->F would probably follow the known protocol, i.e. the elites in J cabin holding revenue J tickets are eligible and the "upgraded" guy into J either from PE or Y will not be considered for J>F.

ok this is new. my DM friend has upcoming flight in a week to yyz.... he has already been upgtaded in MMB website not even online checkin. is this normal. i guess flight is super iverbooked but dont have.kvs tool handy now to verify.

interesting....I presume he was originally in Y or PEY class?

he was/is in V claas. i am waiting to aee the final verdict....

The wiki has given some real cool information.. quick question though- for upgrading BA flight with Asia Miles, where do I see the miles required/upgrade chart ?

I think it is now the same as would be required for an upgrade if you were on CX as per the award chart.

Before CX introduced its own premium economy and revised the award chart accordingly, there used to be a complicated formula for calculating the mileage requirements for premium economy redemptions or upgrades to or from premium economy on other carriers, but that appears not to be the case anymore.