Hi there.

My wife, 1-yr-old daughter, and I are flying from BUF-EWR-PHX-EWR-BUF in late August for a weekend trip ($186 return, 5300 miles...AND we get free nights at the Hyatt Scottsdale!). Right now we have coach seats reserved, but ITN shows that only 1 or 2 Business class seats are reserved so far on each segment. The EWR-PHX flight leaves at 8:20 PM and the PHX-EWR is a red-eye at 10:00 PM; so the plane will probably be far from full.

I'm Silver Elite, but my wife only recently joined OnePass so she doesn't have Elite status. She ordered the Prestige Pack today, though, so she'll have the space-available upgrades available.

The segments between Buffalo and Newark aren't a big deal, but I'd like both of us to get Business class between Newark and Phoenix. Is upgrading at check-in the only way we can do that? Should I arrive early to increase my chances?

Thanks for any tips.

Sorry, to break the news there is no domestic business class on CO!

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Viele Gr��e

Oliver

Oops...just realized that. Is coach->first upgrade also considered a one-class upgrade on those domestic flights?

Your chance of upgrade is pretty good; however, your wife gets last dibs on upgrading, after all the elites clear. PHX-EWR is actually a pretty busy route given the aggressive code-share agreement between CO and HP. If you can swing it, I would consider buying a ticket for your one year-old and getting a bulkhead with three seats across. No matter where you sit, holding a baby for 4-5 hours on an overnight flight can make it a LOOOONG flight.


(edited due to bad typing)

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What do you mean I can't charge my heart bypass to my Visa? I need the MILES!!!

[This message has been edited by Seth (edited 07-20-2001).]

Welcome to FlyerTalk Hashman. If your reservation, as a Silver Elite, is not on a separate record, call the Silver Elite Desk and split it. Continental's EUA (Elite Upgrade Automation System) is set by default to apply its priorities to the lowest status person on the record. Your wife has no elite status, therefore, EUA will not include you when it performs any Silver upgrades. After separating the records, request to be faxed or e-mailed updated itineraries for all of you, (both record locators).

Arrive early at the airport to increase everyone's chances for day-of-departure upgrades, your wife in particular and you, if EUA did not upgrade you in advance. Glad to hear your wife purchased the Prestige Pack, excellent investment!

Continental only offers one-class upgrades, to either First Class or Business First. None of their planes offer three classes, that I am aware of. Business First is the superior product IMHO. Most domestic CO flights have First Class. Business First is available on many international routes, otherwise First Class. If you're fortunate, you'll enjoy BizFirst on a domestic flight occasionally.

These threads should offer some additional insight:

Upgrade priority?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum20/HTML/002589.html

Who says the prestige pack upgrades are useless?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum20/HTML/002245.html

BusinessFirst
www.continental.com
Click on Search/Index
Click on BusinessFirst

Good Luck and Happy Travels!

[This message has been edited by MRLIMO (edited 07-20-2001).]

MRLIMO, thank you for the welcome and for the helpful message. I was aware that the upgrades are done according to the lowest status person in the party...it didn't click with me earlier that I'd then end up below the priority of all the other Elites using EUA. I guess I should get myself back into EUA and then worry about it later if we're split up and don't want to be. (We haven't decided whether we'll stick together in coach with the infant or split up and take the little one to first class if only one of us gets an upgrade.)

Okay...I just called, and was told that there are no upgrades available right now (even though ITN shows only one or two FC seats taken...), but maybe it's too early. I had the record split but now they lost the seat selections we had made, and my Elite status isn't shown on the itinerary. Hrmph...back on the phone I go.

Continental does offer a product called biz first on selected domestic destinations. Although it is basically First class, it is a upgraded first class in my oppinion. I recently flew EWR-MCO-IAH and the entrie trip was biz first. SFO, LAX, CLE, and a few others get biz first planes. However, CO does not offer a 3 class service. As for the PHX-EWR red eye flight. I have taken this flight many times with CO and NW. Every single time the flight has been booked and over sold, so hope you get lucky and get a empty aircraft.

Eric

PHX/BDL

How close to flight time do they sell out? On ITN I see that just over half of the seats for tonight's CO1921 (EWR-PHX) are reserved; and for CO1921 (PHX-EWR) on Sunday shows less than half reserved.

Are the reserved seats a good number for gauging how busy a flight is?

Yes, the number of reserved seats is a good way to measure how full the flight is, though not foolproof. But for CO flights, at least, the ITN seat map is usually quite accurate.

Having flown PHX-EWR or EWR-PHX several times this year, I can tell you that CO holds back most of the FC seats until just days before the flights, sometimes even the day of.

Your likelihood of UG depends on what day of the week it is, but, as you said, it's such a late flight that you're almost certain to get it.

Assuming that CO releases all the FC seats the morning of the flight, what you need to do so you wife has the best shot at the UG is arrive at BUF two hours before your flight leaves, if possible, in order to check in.

At that point, if there are FC seats left, the Prestige Pack certs entitle her to one of them. Do NOT let the CO agents put her on a waiting list, unless all the FC seats are full. (You can ask if FC is all "checked in.")