Calling For An Upgrade
 

I was just wondering when you want to get upgraded into FC, how often do you call Continental to see if it available. My trip is a month and a half out and wondering how often I should call.

Call every shift! Demand the upgrade. Don´t let them tell you no!
 

For best results, you should call every shift and demand an upgrade. This works great. If they get uppity on you, tell them that you´re a personal friend of Gordo and you will have their job if they don´t get your seat quick.

Demand that they document your friendship to Gordo in your record, and bump it up to a supervisor if they won´t cooperate.

(But seriously, why would you think you´d get upgraded early, if at all? What fare ticket did you buy? Are you elite? Since you a FirstClass Flyer, why didn´t you just buy a FC seat. That´s what they want you to do!)

I just thought that being persistent would improve my chances of getting upgraded. I have a B fare class reserved. I did not book a FC ticked because I almost always get an upgrade into FC even though I am not elite.

Tell them you are flying to bury a grandparent, thay works too...

how do you maage that??

It must be my charm. ;)

I'm a Second Class Snake.
 

If this is true, you should be telling us your secret, not asking us for advice.

Well, I am always friendly but firm. That has always worked for me. I should mention that I don't always get an upgrade, but I would say about 70% I do. Not being an elite, those are very good numbers. I was just wondering why it isn't working this time. I should send an E-mail over to Gordo and see if he can get me one.

Well Gordo doesn´t know how to use the new fangled computer yet, so you´d better write his assistant, Larry Kellner. Just don´t tell him he looks like a dough boy, that sets him off, and you´ll never get the upgrade then. :)

If you're able to 'charm' yourself to upgrades, you are either
1) most likely full of it.
2) or need to be stopped from taking some of a already limited supply of F seats from people who have earned upgrades.

I'm not full of it. Perhaps, the agents can just tell that I am a nice person. it's not like I'm not using my miles, I earn my rewards like everyone else.

If you have enough flights under your belt to have a sample size and upgrade percentage, you would be Elite by now.

This sounds like a bunch of hot air to me.

I must disagree. I'm sure that I will get an upgrade. I will keep you all posted.

yes, I'm sure you will get the upgrade, right into 32B.

LOL, that was a good one. :D

I sense a kid here. Let us know which you get first -- your upgrade or your driver's license.

Maybe he's a kid, but maybe he's not lying. Two years ago when I started flying and I wasn't elite I was able to "score" a few upgrades on AM flights, just by being nice to the GA's. It's really not that hard when the FC cabin isn't full. One time they upgraded me and I was the only pax on Clase Premier :)

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....16#post3518916

If you're not honest with us, I don't see why we should help.

JMO . . .

F_C_F is the best bet to take our minds off the reconfigured 735's since avek double 'aught flew the coop. :D

Sometimes I don't know why I even bother asking questions here. Every time, some self important member goes through my posts, turning my own words against me. I asked a simple question. I am an honest person, if you choose not to believe me, that is your decision.

To everyone, F_C_F seems to be getting upgrades 70% of the time by using miles. That is perfectly reasonable, even as a nonelite (notwithstanding the other thread where he says he usually pays for F), assuming you pay up for one of the upgradeable fares (B+?).

As for your original request, yield management controls the "R" bucket of seat availability -- this is what needs to be available to redeem a domestic mileage upgrade award. If R=0, then no upgrade. You can certainly keep calling back and asking the agent, but they'll only tell you what the computer system shows. Sometimes rev mgmt will release R seats closer to flight time (well, certainly, since EUA upgrades come out of R too). In the past, it was easy to always guarantee a mileage upgrade by calling about 3 1/2 hours before the flight, when all remaining first class inventory was "dumped" into R -- which happened about 30 minutes before the EUA process actually ran. Nowadays, it seems like lots of flights are actually sold out altogether in F (or Z) by this time, so the strategy may be outdated. But you could try right before the advance EUA runs at 5-days, 3-days, etc. EUA used to run around midnight C.T., but word here is that sometimes it runs in the evening.