Pay-For Upgrades (at gate)?
 

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the newbie post, but I usually fly DL so my CO knowledge is pretty limited. I'm on a H-class coach ticket and was wondering if it's possible (similar to the standby upgrade program that DL supports) to request or pay a nominal fee for an upgrade on a CO domestic flight (I think it's about 1000 miles long).

Is this possible? Do you have to use miles? What are the fees? OR is it only possible to rebook the seat in a new ticket and thus may $5000?

I think H is a pretty "high" coach class but I'm not sure, please advise.

Thanks to all!

QUICK EDIT/ADD ON: I am NOT a OnePass guy, I am a Skymiles and have plenty of miles with that program. Also a WorldPerks guy but do NOT have enough miles to warrent an upgrade there. Thanks again!

CO has no revenue upgrades.

The only ways to upgrade on a CO domestic flight are as follows:

1. Unlimited space-available upgrades for CO and NW elites based on elite stattus (plat, gold, silver), fare basis, and date of purchase of the ticket.

2. CO elites who purchase a full Y fare are automatically upgraded (assuming space is available in FC). All others will be upgraded at the airport if FC inventory is available

3. Award upgrades using ff miles

For international flights, the only option is using miles and paying a co-pay (this is only available to CO elites)

As a small point of order CO does have rev-ups to HNL but that is the only market I know of in which their offered.

BrianJ -- H is a high fare class (#2) and if you want the F seat just call in and ask how much it is to up fare to F.

The highlighted part is completely false. I have no idea where you got that idea, but anyone is eligible for a cash + miles upgrade on international flights.

Up until recently non-elites were only eligible for domestic miles upgrades on higher fares but a co-pay system was just introduced where non-elites can now upgrade from any domestic or international fare.

Hi all,

Thanks for the tips and ideas. I wasn't sure on the coach fare classes so I wasn't sure if H was indeed high enough to garner a few extra bucks to pay for a new ticket. No matter, I'm up here at CLE now in the PC and enjoying my Dos Equis! I'm quite impressed with the club, I might add, first time I've been here in a long while.

Also, and I know that staying in this thread isn't the best spot to put this comment, I have been quite impressed with CO's service and flights every time I've flown them, they've always been great to me. I'm curious to know how this whole Sky-to-Star switch is going to be, though I'll be sad to see CO go to the conglomerate (just joking!). Maybe I'll have to switch my alliance too...one never knows!

Yes, although this program is essentially the Hawaii version of the BF upgrade scheme + co-pay.

True enough, although it is a bit of a semanticism, since the amount of miles required in most cases for a BF upgrade would imply that the passenger has reached at least the lowest tier elite level. (40,000 mies rt to upgrade TATL or South America, and 50,000 miles to upgrade to Asia rt)

Of course, it would be possible to transfer points from Amex MR or some other similar mechanism. Otherwise, the vast majority of the pax using this are likely to have attained at least the lowest tier elite.

It is not semantics at all. There are LOTs of ways to accrue points. Maybe I have a few hundred thousand points and my elite status finally runs out 'cause I stop traveling so much. Now I can't use the miles I've accrued for upgrades?? Of course that's not true, despite your suggestion otherwise.

Your replies in this thread are horribly misleading to folks who come along and read the "answers" that you are providing.

Yet again, a horribly wrong answer. :rolleyes:

It is completely possible to buy up to BF at the gate on the HNL-Mainland US routes (HNL-GUM is not eligible) for cash only; no miles required. And the inventory bucket that they come out of generally has more availability than typical upgrades. More information on this REVUP program can be found in the appropriate post in the OnePass FAQ.

My bad, and thank you for the clarifications.

On the other hand, while we're talking about horribly misleading, why not discuss the chances for a non-elite actually upgrading to BF despite what the rule book may say?

I'd argue it would be more a function of the predicted paid demand for the flight in question.

If CO's going to sell all 50 seats on tomorrows evening flight to TLV than you're SOL if you trying to upgrade...regardless of your elite level. OTOH, if they've only sold 5J (out of 50) seats and the flight leaves tomorrow, than I'd think you stand a good chance at the upgrade regardless of your elite level.

The gray area is of course when the only have a few seats left over and then your elite level will come into play in determining who has first access to them. But still, to this regard I think timing has a lot to do with it. If you're a non-elite and can travel at the off peak times I think you stand a reasonable chance of getting the upgrade. If you're constrained by a schedule to travel on peak paid demand days than you'll be in the back.

<shrug>

I think it has more to do with flexibility of travel dates than anything else. Let's also not forget that the non-elites are always at the bottom of the queue, so any difficulty CO elites may have in nabbing these elusive awards is compounded for a non-elite, since the supply of seats available for these awards is very limited indeed.

The bottom line is: If you are a CO non-elite and your travel is not very flexible you essentially have no chance of a BF upgrade.

One more thing: I am not suggesting that non-elites deserve a better shot at BF upgrades. In my opinion their likelihood of getting one of these awards is perfectly fair. But I just think we need to be honest that--absent tremendous flexibility on travel dates--it would be extremely unlikely for a non-elite to nab a BF upgrade.

That is incorrect. You can buy up to a FC seat on any CO flight that has one available, just not at a "nominal" fee. You would have to pay the fare difference and any applicable change fees for the upgrade. The change fee makes it really expensive to do a "rev-up".

That is not what is meant by a revenue upgrade at other airlines, where for, say $50 or $80, you can get the FC seat regardless of your coach fare basis and which is always much less than the the difference between the coach fare and the FC fare.

What you're suggesting is purchasing an FC tcket at the gate. Obviously that's possible but it's going to be far more expensive in virtually every case than what is meant by a revenue upgrade.

Since anyone can waitlist I have no problems challenging your assertion. :rolleyes: