Just saw this program update:


On Emirates you are able to upgrade any existing ticket to a higher class of travel using your Skywards Miles. With all Skywards Flex and most Skywards Saver tickets you can upgrade immediately after purchase, whilst effective 15th July, certain Skywards Saver tickets will only allow you to upgrade when your flight is ready for check-in. Online check-in is available 24 hours before departure so if you have purchased one of these fares, this is the earliest and best opportunity for you to use your Miles to upgrade. You may also upgrade your flight at the airport before departure, or even on-board*.

Travel in our premium cabins comes with additional benefits** such as extra baggage allowance and lounge access.

Tickets purchased at emirates.com will clearly display whether a fare is eligible for a check-in reward upgrade only or ask your travel agent to check your fare at the time of booking so you know which upgrade options are available.

* Upgrades to a higher class of travel on board are only available to Silver, Gold and Platinum members.
** Please note that Chauffeur-drive service is not available for check-in reward upgrades.


What's your take on this?

My take is that for some people this will be a benefit and for others a negative

Those that book flex fares may gain due to those on the lowest saver fares not nabbing upgrades, whist for others it will be a negative change since not able to upgrade until check in

May provide an incentive for those wanting to upgrade to book a higher fare

May provide an incentive to not book at all if there is no guarantee of upgrade without paying through the nose for Flex?

+1 ......getting worse and worse

QF-plague again. Then one day not too far off, they'll just have a * and some fine print that says: L, T, V and X fares are ineligible for upgrades.

read this as

the cheapest (still expensive) savers (non upgradeable)

middle of the road (more expensive) may get an upgrade if you are lucky

Flex (even more$$$$) not guranteed an upgrade

Another way of getting more revenue with no gurantee of an upgrade....

Less and less attractive by the day....

It will not be long before there are no upgrades available at all until check in - that way they will save the Chauffeur Drive costs for those doing a Y to J upgrades. Never having done an UG at check in time can I ask whether if one does you get the lounge access?

Yes it does, wonder if you'd still get the car in Dubai....

Good point. Given historically check-in upgrades don't get chauffeur drive anyway due to not meeting the minimum pre-order time requirement, putting in that caveat adds no value as it is already implied unless they wanted to limit the Dubai arrival option as well.

I've never had a problem not pre booking and just rocking up to the desk. No difference really

For a very large percentage of Skywards members, collecting miles in the programme has become a complete waste of time and energy- especially for members based in the US. Moving Skywards functions to regular sales agents that can rarely figure out how to book a partner ticket-one of the few ways left to actually redeem miles at a reasonable rate, has just made the already poor record of customer service reach even lower levels. Much higher prices for flex tickets, reduced earnings, increased redemption rates, restrictions on upgrades...the enhancements never end. No wonder Skywards was recently ranked one of the worst frequent flyer programmes based on redemption percentage.

It doesn't involve paying for flex, just that some savers may not allow it according to the information

But what do they mean by "certain Skywards Saver tickets"?

Can anyone expand on what the criteria will be?

I did also think that it seemed to very QFesque ; I was never in favour of the alliance ( unlike some ) and not surprised that some of the badness of QF has rubbed off on EK

On a personal basis, the latest change isn't affecting me since on nearly all trips I take , I take flex fares, so it actually could benefit me, but what next part of QF disease will EK catch

I think that it may involve waiting a month and seeing what is in the specifics