Begging for an upgrade

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Mar 9, 2003 | 9:49 pm

*silver

Original Poster

Join Date: Mar 2001

Location: toronto,ontario,canada AC Prestige

Posts: 48

Begging for an upgrade

I will be flying from EWR to BRU in coach. Does anyone have any advice about what is the best way to ask for an upgrade. I am a basic member with no real reason for them to give me one.My only hope is that I have PC access with my priority pass.

Also are there any "good" seats in Y. (Besides exit row which I can not reserve)

Thanx

Mar 9, 2003 | 10:38 pm

venk

Join Date: Dec 2001

Posts: 5,968

The best way would be with your eyes closed so you don't see the GA rolling on the floor laughing and pointing you out to his colleagues.

Mar 9, 2003 | 11:07 pm

eastwest

Join Date: Aug 2000

Programs: I am an AS employee, but my comments do not represent the company in any official capacity.

Posts: 4,343

I have to agree with Venk on this one . . .

Mar 10, 2003 | 5:48 am

mauld

Join Date: May 1999

Location: Central New Jersey

Programs: UA-Platimum 2 MM, HH-Gold, MR-Lifetime Gold, Hyatt-Discoverist

Posts: 6,238

Pardon the humor from my fellow FT'ers, but to be perfectly frank, I wouldn't expect much if I were you. While its not totally impossible to receive an 'operational' upgrade-- and those do occaisionally occur due to overbooking of coach, OP elite members tend to recieve them before the public. If you check the seach function for HoKeY or Upgrade you'll find a wealth of commentary on this subject.

Mar 10, 2003 | 7:12 am

H53Epilot

Join Date: Apr 2001

Location: DL-PM

Posts: 863

I believe I prefer Venk's answer......Yes, yes, I believe I do.

Mar 10, 2003 | 7:45 am

andynj

Join Date: Aug 1999

Location: Bethlehem, PA USA

Posts: 114

As for the better seats, try checking:

www.seatguru.com

Mar 10, 2003 | 8:28 am

JetAway

Join Date: Jul 2002

Location: Virginia, USA

Posts: 4,702

Don't demean yourself. They'll never give you an upgrade and you'll live with the shame and loss of self-esteem for a very long time (as well as the knowing smirks of the other coach passengers who witnessed your grovel).

Mar 10, 2003 | 8:47 am

thezipper

Join Date: Aug 1999

Location: Alexandria, VA, USA NW Platinum Elite Since 1999, United GoldMM, Hyatt Discoverist, SPG Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hertz #1 Gold, IC Ambassador

Posts: 7,451

"Friend don't let friends grovel for an upgrade"... esp when you'll never get one

Mar 10, 2003 | 9:06 am

MinnieSchnauzer

Join Date: Jan 2002

Location: New York, NY

Posts: 10

This question is along the same line. I went from Silver to Dirt this year. I am trying to book a flight using miles to upgrade. I have done this same flight EWR to SFO for the last two years and at the time I purchased my ticket I upgraded with miles. No problem.

This time I was informed that I had to purchase a B, H or V (?) ticket to be able to upgrade. I purchased the B class ticket but could not upgrade at the time.

I have called Continental every day since and each day they have told me the same thing, no upgrade with miles seats available. "April is a very busy month."

I guess it wasn't busy in 2001 or 2002

Any suggestions?

Mar 10, 2003 | 9:31 am

#10

mrjohnnyt

Original Member

Join Date: May 1998

Location: SWFL

Programs: United 1k

Posts: 266

Minnie,
Use this search page: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/...ravel/galileo/ to pull up your flights and when you see F1 or better call to buy your mileage upgrage. F0 or FL are no good.

Mar 10, 2003 | 9:49 am

#11

H53Epilot

Join Date: Apr 2001

Location: DL-PM

Posts: 863

Minnie,
If you don't like the attitude of a particular phone agent, simply call back and keep trying until you get a friendly one-they are out there. You could ask, "OK, which months are not so busy?" or "Which days of the week are less busy than others." You'll quickly call their "Well you see, this month is just so darn busy" bluff.

Mar 10, 2003 | 10:49 am

#12

MinnieSchnauzer

Join Date: Jan 2002

Location: New York, NY

Posts: 10

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mrjohnnyt:
Minnie,
Use this search page: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/...ravel/galileo/ to pull up your flights and when you see F1 or better call to buy your mileage upgrage. F0 or FL are no good.</font>

[This message has been edited by MinnieSchnauzer (edited 03-10-2003).]

Mar 10, 2003 | 12:34 pm

#13

MinnieSchnauzer

Join Date: Jan 2002

Location: New York, NY

Posts: 10

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by H53Epilot:
Minnie,
If you don't like the attitude of a particular phone agent, simply call back and keep trying until you get a friendly one-they are out there. You could ask, "OK, which months are not so busy?" or "Which days of the week are less busy than others." You'll quickly call their "Well you see, this month is just so darn busy" bluff. </font>

You are so right. The first person told me I could use the upgrade miles and be put on a waitlist but her computer was down and she couldn't do it. The second person told me that you have to have Elite status to do that and since I went from Silver to Dirt, I could not be waitlisted.

Something must have changed dramatically. I've done this flight to the same conference for the last two years and had absolutely no trouble upgrading with miles.