You know the Load Controller likes you when you see this...
 

I had pre-selected 18H.

Logged in around 4pm SIN time today. Saw this. All good is all I can say...:)
Whenever you "lose" your seat, it is normally always a good sign...

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/1...10708atpm0.png

I have two data points. We were on our honeymoon to Auckland in 2007 and it was my wife's first flight with EK. She had just registered as a Skywards blue member, and I had Gold. We both got upgraded to J on the Sydney Auckland legof our onward journey.

Year before last we were both traveling to JFK from BOM in J. On the BOM-DXB leg they upgraded me to F but when I enquired about my wife, they said that they couldn't upgrade her since she wasn't either a silver or a gold. This was actually quite a frustrating experience for both of us but they just refused.

I think it may also be station dependent since I have always had a very bad experience with the local staff here at BOM regarding opups. Of the 30-35 odd flights I have taken with EK over the past 6 years as a Gold member ex BOM, I have only been upgraded 2 times, compared to 50% flights ex-DXB until about last year where it was just once.

I've never seen my seat disappering in the past 6 years as gold. Never. And almost all of my upgrades have happened at the gate, except once when I was upgraded at check-in.

Same here. Very interesting!

Complete opposite here. I always had my upgrade at check-in and only once from J to F at the gate.

Op-up locations depend on station and when you checkin. All my three regular stations (ACC/DXB/BOM) have upgraded me both at checkin and at the gate depending on the situation. Last week in DXB, I was even upgraded after I had boarded (but missed out on the upgrade since I had agreed to a seat swap - so the other lady got my upgraded seat instead :mad:).

ROFL!!!

I tried doing that for the 385 to DXB yesterday and it showed a blank screen and on it in red something along the lines of "you cannot access the seatmap as it is now in the control of the airport"

I have heard about this before for BOM flights. A colleague who is a blue member inquired and got the same response back about whether they were Silver/Gold member or not which I thought was odd given they have that info.
On the contrary I have had an almost 100% op-up (J-F) out of BOM but again haven't done anywhere near 30 flights to there.

OP But Why????
 

Hi Mates,

Consider this a RANT but try & be GENUINE & UNDERSTANDING from MY point of veiw. Consider this the OTHER prespective.

I fly F with EK alomst every week because of business. Have been doing this for 4 yrs now on a regular basis. Never seen an OPUP(you can not opup some one who is already in 1A:D)

I feel PISSED offffffff when some JACK ends up in 1E because of an OPUP & drinks & eats all the way to the end. The noise that he makes comes in on the house. This is STUPID.

SQ does not OPUP to F. Almost NEVER. If EK keeps on doing this then they will just end up losing revenue F paxs. Not fair when I blow $12000 on a TKT and a JACK gets it for $ 2900.

... should I pay this kind of money???? And then the OP's enjoy the F ride & to the max usually.

Yeaah I know I have disturbed quiet a few here by posting MY PERSPECTIVE but then why is EK trying to resemble SQ on 1 hand then behave like an EU or US airline?????????????????

Revenue YES but atleast keep the sanity of the F Cabin if you want to be a premier air carrier.

My Prespective.

Safe Flying

EGT

Ok, here's my point of view. Surely this is an exaggeration of all proportions.

You could also argue that they may increase F passengers by more J customers experiencing F. As you say, you "blow $12,000" on a ticket - but you're assured of an F ticket. Those op-ups are just that - and may not get to experience the F cabin again.

I just don't find the argument credible. You pay F, you get F. Someone pays J, and they get to experience F (thru no fault of their own). You cant simply over generalise the argument and say that every op-upped F customer sits there and behaves like a barbarian.

Happens pretty often. More than I would want to & that too on the ULH flights unfortunately.

Safe Flying

EGT

Do you personally, out of your own pocket, blow $12,000 on each and every ticket? If you do, I would feel some sympathy with you (and also maybe think you could do better things with your money, but that's your call).

If, on the other hand, the tix are paid for by your employer or someone else (eg the tax man), I would feel no sympathy whatsoever and hopefully I would never have the misfortune of sitting next to you.

Just my take...

:rolleyes:

Well, seems like you have indeed been unfortunate. UA have been very good to me over the years; pity UA no longer exists, so I can no longer fly them.

I've never missed out on an Intercontinental upgrade on UA (and I've had a few) and I've been op-upped countless times, including several SYD-LAX in the same month, and also quite a few when travelling on award tix, especially out of LHR (this even happened to me a couple of weeks ago on an (unnamed) Asian carrier).

So compared with that, Emirates record isn't that great, but better than nothing. I probably don't do as well as some for op-ups on EK because I don't actively seek out flights that are likely to be overbooked. I just book the flights that suit me best, but even doing this I have discovered some flights to Europe where you can be virtually guaranteed an op-up if you have the status.

Oh, and I should say that if I were ever to be op-upped to 1st and placed in seat 1E next to Mr ELITEGOLDTRAVELLER, I would probably politely decline, or maybe not, so as to make his life hell (seems as if he deserves it).

Outstanding, high quality rant there Mr Traveller.

Thanks for taking the time to brighten everyones day with your eloquent view on the life of the put-upon F passenger.

The amusing idea that you would spend $9000 to avoid the barbarian J pax, will have me laughing for a very long time.^

EGT,

If I were you I'd be threatening to quit my job unless my employer started forking out for me to fly private ;)

Figured better to post this here, rather than starting a new thread.

Have a flight in December from CDG-DXB that's showing no upgrade availability through Skywards or on ExpertyFlyer. Just wondering if upgrade availability can open up closer to the date of travel or if there's no chance? As I've noticed other flights in December (different routes) currently have upgrade availability then I'm assuming it's related to load factors, not time until travel date.

Thanks a lot.