there are i.e special fares from MXP, VIE, ZRH, BKK - so they really do exist.

EK has gone to the policy called

"Give an Inch take a Mile"

lets c how far they will be successful with this type of policy...

personally lot of people whom i know have already changed carriers to QR & EY exBOM

Very successful. The fare families will enable ek to suit a lot of different travellers and to maximise revenue. Market leading...planes are full...

Is there any truth to that if you purchase an 'Economy Saver' ticket - the likelihood of an upgrade is very low as the other three tiers (Flex, Flex Plus and Saver) are prioritized?

In terms of op-ups? Yes to an extent: within your Skywards (and QF) tiers, if the controllers are really narrowing down - and they'll go for solo, non WCHR etc. pax first, generally - then sometimes they'll sort by fare basis. But you may also get a controller in a hurry who just does it by some other method...!

Hey everyone,

My sister used her miles to upgrade from flex J to F for JFK-DXB-HYD, which was (and has always been) 55,000 miles. She had to change the date of her ticket to a new date that had Z class available, but when they agent went to re-upgrade her for the new date, she told her that it would now be 77,000 miles (or something around that). When did the rates rise? She is gold if that makes a difference.
when did this happen?

Thanks for the help,
Ek202

There is already a thread on here that addresses this. But, yes, EK raised the rates, and they raised them with no warning whatsoever.

What used to be a very good FFP became a pretty poor one about a year ago. And, now it is even worse.

I did look before posting but couldn't find it.

But wow, I was hoping she made a mistake such as price it as JFK-DXB, then DXB-HYD instead of JFK-HYD, because it used to be more to do each leg separately.
The fact that they don't even let their most loyal customers know about this is pretty pathetic. I received no communication about this change.

They did give a couple of months notice.

Everyone who is a skywards member should have received an email about it.

I did get a memo that they were going to the 4 fare buckets and that things were changing a bit. But, definitely missed the memo where they stated that mileage upgrade rates could literally double.

This is the email I received:

"Some exciting changes are on their way this February. We will unveil a brand new range of fare types, based on valuable feedback from our members. You’ll have more choice and flexibility with the type of ticket you buy and more ways to maximise the Miles you earn when you fly with us.

If you’re planning ahead for a business trip, choose our Flex or Flex Plus fares so you can make any last-minute changes. Or make the most of our Special and Saver fares for a weekend getaway.

Some of the new fare types will offer even more Miles, helping you to reach your next reward and tier status more quickly. Use our Miles Calculator to check how many Miles you can earn on your flight.

Our enhanced online booking experience will clearly show the benefits and value of each fare type. So whether you want the best price or the greatest flexibility, you can choose a fare that fits your individual needs."

Our thread about the changes:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/emira...es-2015-a.html

But yes, with regards to the upgrades, they sneakily added that to the new mileage calculator which took a bit of finding on the website (at the time it was in a separate small font left hand side link about "Fare Changes"). As I said in the thread about it, I found it very cynical indeed...

Thanks for this, much appreciated.

I am not sure but there seems to be a problem with the F fares. I have been pricing out some trips ex GLA, and note that despite the big difference between First Flex and First Felx Plus in terms of fare, the extra mileage is minimal. In some cases a First Flex Plus only earns 3 more miles!

Saw a few first savers ex UK which were only �200 more than J flex on the same flight. This gap used to be around 1k from memory.

PS:I might be wrong as I havent bought a F ticket for over 3 years ( but usually check the fare difference )

Part of the mileage earning changes was that they wanted to keep F fares of all types, (Flex and Flex Plus) all the same: but their IT sucks so much that the Flex/Flex Plus multipliers just don't quite match up. One wonders whether they simply have the 4 fare types coded separately to the cabin classes instead of having 10-12 separate fare combinations...!