Hi there.

Two friends of mine are eager to accompany me on my flight to LGW in December. I am in Y DUR-DXB then J DXB-LGW. Return is the same, with me being in J LGW-DXB and in Y DXB-DUR. I used miles to upgrade the LGW flights, but there was no D available for DUR (there never is).

Anyway, is it possible to book a ticket for them (in cash only) to accompany me in the same class on all flights? If I do a multi-leg journey, will that mean that they are to check-in and drop off bags in DXB again?

Thanks for your help. ^

I would think that you would have to book 2 separate flights for them to be flying in the same class as you, a DUR-DXB in Y and DXB-LGW in J.

If there is still D class availability on the LGW sector then you can buy Y tickets for them and upgrade the available sectors with your skywards miles ( if you have enough) . This is probably going to be cheaper than trying to book 2 sets of tickets DUR-DXB in Y and DXB-LGW in J.

Even with 2 sets of tickets you don't have to pick up and check in luggage at DXB provided the transit time is less than 24hrs. Just ask the staff at DUR or LGW to check the bags through to the final destination.

Thanks you so much for your help.

I would have liked to upgrade them using miles, but unfortunately I only have about 34,000 left in my account, which is only enough for one person, one-way. There also isn't any D-class available for either flights, so there's no point bothering.

I told them to purchase J all the way and that, if there is space available, I would upgrade a flight between DUR and DXB and join them for 3/4 of the flights.

It is not confirmed if they are even able to accompany me, so I will worry about it when everything is confirmed.

Thanks!

I'm hoping one of your friends might be over 18

Unfortunately not, but it is only a 2.45h layover in DXB, so it isn't that bad. Coming back is 3.45h, so that may be an issue...

The fares are looking ridiculous though, even in Y saver they are about 25% higher than what they were two days ago. Not sure why they have inflated at such a rate.

We are still in the planning stages, but it looks like they will be flying a whole different airline now due to pricing. SAA in J is looking to be a better option, as they were going to credit their miles to SAA anyway.

I unfortunately will have to fly EK regardless of them to ensure that I reach platinum.

By the way, is it possible to cancel an upgrade made using miles with no penalty? I ask as my grandmother is flying in Y to see her sister in LHR in four days time. It would be better to use my miles on her as opposed to myself, but mine are tied up in upgrades on Y saver fares...

Thanks.

What good will that do as you can't get lounge access anyway?

- Extra Skywards miles.
- First class check-in (and baggage delivery).
- Extra baggage allowance.
- Nominate someone to Gold.

I hope you find them worth the extra $$... As for me, apart from F Lounge access, and the occasional priority for op-ups, the benefits are pretty much seem the same Gold...

I just need to do one return flight as an MR, so I figured why not just go for it as I am so close anyway.

AFAIK you can cancel an upgrade made using miles without penalty provided that there are still seats available in your original booking class.

If you have paid excess APD for a flight out of the Uk , then you might have to chase them up for a refund of the excess APD. I am still waiting ffor a refund from early this year.

Thanks again!

I shall check if there is any D-class available on her flights before canceling. At the moment there is nothing, so I shall accompany her to check-in where I will do the upgrade if nothing opens up prior.

Is my Skywards card needed to do this? I have yet to receive it. It is due in two weeks according to the email from EK.

Technically yes, but you could try carrying a copy of your card printed from the website along with the email from EK.

Still nothing available three days out... Flights from DUR are wide open. Hoping that they are able to open up some availability soon.