Is it possible to get upgraded by status for international flights at all? I'm flying from EWR to NRT soon and I'm wondering if it's possible. It's confusing, but the csa was telling me that my flight was from BOS to NRT. I know it stops in EWR, so can I get upgraded to EWR, but then not to NRT? How does that work with a single flight number that "changes planes" in EWR?

Nope. Complimentary elite upgrades are only for domestic flights or the few intl flights without BusinessFirst service. You can try to use miles + a fee to upgrade... search for the term HOKEY. Or go read CO.com...


Elite upgrades

Upgrade with miles

It usually ends up with you not being upgraded on the domestic segment either. If you really care about the BOS-EWR upgrade then get to the airport early. The system doesn't normally handle the "single flight number" gracefully, as I learned when CO6/7 were "NRT-MIA" *cough*

Steve

You only get the upgrade if you gleefully "bounce" up to the podium with your CO badge in hand and then they will gladly upgrade you...

and yes... i've see in happen...

Come on zip, you're just confusing the new guy who has done nothing to deserve this sort of misdirection. Yes, it happens, but so do things like total solar eclipses.

When are you going? I'm flying DCA-EWR-NRT on 7/7, my first trip on CO since 12/01. I tried using some banked NW miles for an upgrade, with no luck, and I've had to console myself with what seatguru.com says are good coach seats.

Would love to hear how it goes.

I suspect zip is writing about employees. At the risk of taking this thread way OT, if you really want the BF seat pay the price asked. If you can live without it, play Hokey or fill out an employee application at CO.

CO has its policy for a very good reason. I'll refer you to this thread for CO's explanation:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ighlight=Hokey


Does it work? Well, I am right now sitting in CLT waiting for my Row 1 A330 Envoy flight to LGW on US b/c I could upgrade off a $950 coach fare for 40kRT miles and $0. CO wanted $950 more miles + an additional $600...if it cleared. So their plan didnt work with this OP Gold member today . But having so many NYC-based companies willing to pay for J trans-Atlantic, I suspect their current policy is a net positive for them.

just to let everyone know how my trip went...

I was flying from bos-ewr-nrt-gum in late July. I was thinking that I wouldn't be upgraded at all since most segments were international. I couldn't get the 500 bonus miles for online check in since I had to do it at the counter. I did get the upgrade to ewr. The rest of the segments were in coach. I got to nrt and right before boarding, the gate agent called me to the podium and told me that my upgrade had come through. So I got the one domestic upgrade (bos-ewr) even though bos-nrt was supposedly one flight number, which it was not. I also got one international upgrade (nrt-gum) which was not in a BusinessFirst cabin. It was still nice to get upgraded.