2 Hour Upgrade Issue
 

I'm CO platinum and flew EWR-SFO last saturday night in a "Business First configuration" 757. I'd been able to upgrade via the 3-day platinum window and it was awesome as usual.

The return SFO-EWR trip(Tuesday night red-eye) proved much more problematic to upgrade. I called "the minute I was elgible", but all the tickets were sold in business class (as opposed to have some held-back). I called 3 - 4 times in total over the next 3 days; all in vain.

I got my business done early tuesday night and arrived at SFO at 6:30 for the 9:40 flight. I checked in and told I was the first platinum - so I was # 1 on the list (a GOLD has previously checked in).

I'm not a CO club member but I had a 1-visit pass which I put to good use. While in the club I asked my status and was told I was # 2 in line. I asked the agent in the club (a real nice gentleman) why I was # 2. He said someone who was platinum with a "Y" class ticket had checked in 10 minutes later than me. He was pretty adament (in a nice way) that that was the rule, that Y class automatically gets upgrade priority within an elite class. I called the elite line from the club and got the same answer.

I understand the CO business reasoning here ; but the elite member's guide is vague on this, not mentioning anything specific about Y class getting priority.

Has anyone encountered this before ?

(btw - I ended up # 2 on the upgrade list..happy ending..2 upgrades were available...though it was not BF configuration);

I have been told the same thing about "Full Fare" Pax getting priority over discount fares on the upgrade list.

What happened to you is why a lot of agents don't want to tell a passenger where they sit in the upgrade pecking order. Most of the time I ask, I am told "It looks good" or "It doesn't look good". I usually have to press them to find out where I stand exactly.

As far as the elite guide goes, It doesn't mention a waitlist order at all. I would bet that this omission was well thought out.

I think that the Y class issue comes up infrequently due to the immediate upgrade that you can get upon ticketing. Unless the flight is sold out in A at time of ticketing, a Platinum member purchasing a Y ticket will get the F/C seat right away.

I have one rule, if I can't upgrade in advance, I will get to the airport as early as possible. That way I get a good spot in the upgrade waitlist.

BTW,

BF is everything they say it is, isn't it!

Does a Silver or a Gold on a Y ticket bump a Platinum on a non-Y ticket?

That's a good question. I would bet that it would be difficult to get a straight answer.

My guess, just a guess, would be no. I think the wiatlist order goes like this:

Paid First Class
Platinum Y Fare
Platinum All other Fare
Gold Y
Gold Other
Silver Y
Silver Other
Non-Rev and other certs

Anybody have some information?

My guess is that a paid Y fare by any OP member trumps all elite standings in the standby waitlist order.

monitor, are you suggesting logic? Not with the airlines http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Actually, I think monitor is correct on this point.

I asked some agents about the D fare code that we had been discussing around here at various points. It turns out that the D code is used for the YONEPASS fares (the "instant upgrade" full fares). Those have a higher priority for FC seats than the F codes, but lower than the A's. So, in essence, the order goes "priority," Platinum, Gold, Silver, "nobody" within each of the letter codes (A, D, F).

This does, incidentally, mean that a full-fare "nobody" can get the seat before a discounted Platinum.

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Michael

Not always. The YONEPASS fare basis is not always valid. Last year I bought a $2000.00 Y ticket BOS-LAX. Y class not YONEPASS and at the time A & D class were available (I remember since I would not ticket the flight at that cost if I could not get the instant Upgrade). I did get F/C, but due only to my Platinum Status.

Maybe our good friend CO757 could help? CO757, If your out there and have a few minutes, could you ask one of your coworkers our question about waitlisting priority?