How to get bumped off/upgraded...
 

I've always wondered this because I hear of plenty of people getting offered to be bumped off elal flights but whenever I ask at the check in desks, the check in assistants look at me in a funny way! Is this the wrong way to go about this? Is there a technique?

Also, on my outward flight to tlv two weeks ago, i was travelling alone, and a friend of mine who was also traveling alone got automatically upgraded to business?

My question is, how do you get bumped off/upgraded? Is it pure luck or are there other factors involved?

First, a small linguistic point - at least in British English, "bumped off" as a stand-alone phrase means murdered, whilst "bumped" means bumped off a flight. Just FYI... El Al check-in security can certainly help with the former, if not the latter :)

I've only flown El Al a couple of times recently and had Platinum status, was upgraded on both without doing any more than asking if the flight was full.

Maybe I am cynical but from experience, if you have no status, it comes down to good old-fashioned "protectsia".

U/G criteria on El Al flights
 

El Al's upgrade list includes every passenger who's booked on Y/S/M booking classes (3 highest fares in Economy) or C/I booking classes (for upgrade to First class) and it is prioritized by Matmid status and date of joining Matmid (for example: if there are two GL members on an upgrade list, the one who join the program first will get a higher priority.

You can call the call center to find out if you're on the list at any time before the flight, but we won't be able to tell you your position since it can change whenever a high rank member enters the list. We do, however, tell if chances are high or low, but nothing is guranteed.

LEV441 and Shai Sendik, welcome to FT!

Shai, am I right to assume that you work for ELAL?

You can call the reservations office and asked to be put on the list of volunteers agreeing to be bumped.

How do you reach platinum by only flying a couple of times?
Is there a different way to earn status other then flying with ELAL, or was it aimply a status match or perhaps some company director's privilige?

when a flight is full in economy, they will move a couple of people from biz to first (a couple... depends on many factors), then move a couple from economy to biz (according to status or the people in charge are your friends).
if still no place in economy, they will start to locate people who would agree to move to another flight and get compensation. if still overbooked, they will bump people out of the flight... i presume that people with the least expensive ticket... as they will not do that to people paying high fare classes ..
this is all speculation...

on a flight i had in economy TLV-Barcelona and back on 737, the economy section was overbooked.
i've asked if i was on the upgrade list, and they said NO UPGRADES. but i've asked again... about the list of upgrades as i knew it was overbooked.
then a list appeared... and i was the first on it.
got upgraded for free both ways.

Yes, I am working at the Call Center at Ben Gurion Airport

[QUOTE=ELAL;19236690]You can call the reservations office and asked to be put on the list of volunteers agreeing to be bumped.

The volunteers list applies only for overbooked flights when El Al has to ask people not to fly at all on their scheduled flight and get instead an alternative flight and a compensation.

The upgrade list is automatic and generated for every flight (although it is used only if possible, depending on flight's situation).

Great having you here, I'm sure you'll be a big help here, (and please don't dissapear;))

[QUOTE=Shai Sendik;19236764]I was referring only to the bump list.

I thought it would be the one with the larger points balance in the past 12 months that would be higher on the priority list?

And welcome to FT! :)

No, the U/G system cannot retrieve points status.

Glad to be here! Feel free to PM if needed.

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Shai, has that always been the case?

I think so, although maybe when they do "manual" upgrading, they do take this into consideration. The basic criteria is booking class, Matmid tier and date of enrollment.

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Thanks.

They might want to update the rules as shown online...

http://www.elal.co.il/ELAL/Hebrew/MatmidFrequentFlyer/EarningAndUtilizingPoints/ClassUpgrade/ReducedInTheLastMinute.htm

Status match when BMI quit TLV. Thought I would try both LY and BA, massively preferred BA for a variety of reasons, now with BA switching terminals and planes, and with flying needs changing a bit, am reconsidering... subject to getting another status match, I would give LY another go.