TCON upgrades
 

Hi all,

Relatively new to this forum... have been predominantly a Delta boy. I'm testing "the grass is greener" theory on Continental. So far, so good. I've done a bit of searching but still keep coming back to my basic question:

Are there better transcon flights (looking at EWR-SFO) now on securing an upgrade as a platinum elite? On Delta, I'd managed to figure out the flights when the loads up front were generally lighter. I'm self-employed so flexible on travel times.

Also -- is there anything really different between the 737s and the one 757-300 that seems to do the last flight westward bound and then the red-eye return? or is it just more first seats crammed in there?

thanks in advance,

NYCt

As a Plat, the only times I've ever gotten upgrades EWR-SFO or SFO-EWR are very early Saturday or Sunday morning (flythis route 1-3 times a month). I have noticed in the past few months that upgrades (1-2 total per flight) have happened for those on higher fares than me as where it used to be none per flight.

As far as the 753 vs. the 738, the seats are exactly the same, not sure about the AVOD.

There is no AVOD on the 753.

CO could probably run aircraft that are set up with as many premium seats as a UA PS jet on EWR-LAX/SFO and still be in the position to deny people upgrades or paid F availability. Some people have seen upgrade standby lists in the 60's, and Plats on H or B-esque fares have pretty regularly reported being in the back.

If you want an upgrade on an EWR-SFO flight you either need to buy it or be very, very lucky. Paid first class sells out on these flights, sometimes a week or so in advance.

No AVOD on the 753. The 753s have the slider seats, where the seat pan slides forward slightly as you recline. I think they're more comfortable, although I've never sat in an ex-ATA 753 in Y. The 753s also have 32" pitch in Y, while the 737s have 31". That inch does make a difference.

The IFE on these plane types is the same - not AVOD but overhead screens. Both will be retrofit with LiveTV over the next ~16 months.

Depending on where you are headed into the Bay area, you could try SJC but I dont know if you would do any better. SMF is the next closests airport but it is 2 hours away I believe. So not many choices for now. Perhaps things will change with *.

And SMF only gets the OP to IAH on a non-stop, which may be less than desirable.

Then again, some legs on the PHL-IAH-SMF flight are upgraded even for Silvers, are usually much cheaper than the EWR-SFO direct, and faster in terms of check-in and baggage.

SMF is an hour and a half from SF. Considering you will have your rental car within minutes (and at half the cost of SFO), it is a viable alternative. If you are flying into SF to do wine country, it is actually your best bet.

The main advantage of the 757-300 is that their are 50% more available for your unlikely upgrade making it somewhat less unlikely.

The 8:00am SFO-EWR flight is typically a 757-200 with International Business-First seating although regular transcon service. It's very unlikely that you will upgrade on this flight (16 FC seats) but it you can do a B or Y-up, it's a treat. Also has AVOD in all seats.

There are also a bunch more Y seats (~190 instead of about 150), so you aren't necessarily all that much better off. ;)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/6719570-post17.html

Thanks for all the responses, though this was certainly my favorite :) I am very much looking forward to not getting upgraded on my transcons.

As Plat on Delta I was 12/12 last year. I may stick with DL for NYC-SFO/LAX.

From what I'm hearing EWR-IAH-SFO/LAX may be better shot at the upgrade, though I don't think I can stomach the layover.

Thanks everyone.

For what it's worth, I was 1/2 in December for EWR-SFO / SFO-EWR with Gold status. The outbound flight (~8am departure) was only half full, so I was able to lie down across an entire row and slept the entire way there.

The inbound flight, I got a battlefield upgrade - quite surprised, as I was 5th on the list.

Unless you are buying full fare tickets, don't be surprised if you never see an upgrade on SFO-EWR, even as a plat. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to buy F a week out and ended up on DL because every CO flight was already sold out.