|
Originally Posted by eternaltransit
(Post 25626595)
You may be 100% certain, but I'm afraid that is not actually the case in reality - a member of EK staff (the load controller) at the station (or departure control at DXB) will make those changes manually - however, once the seat assignment is changed in the system, that gets propagated out to the customer-facing systems. As a passenger, you will, in 99% of the times you fly, never see this individual.
When a boarding pass is then scanned at any point, the data is checked for consistency with the authoritative manifest loaded into the departure management software - if there is a mismatch (e.g. due to seat changes), then a new boarding pass can be printed. Obviously in the age of instant connectivity directly into airline systems, you can see your changes update in real time - and so an updated mobile boarding pass is the electronic equivalent of constant checking with the authoritative version held in the airline system and being reprinted upon any changes. Also at most outstations, EK uniformed staff are generally outsourced agents who don't have access to the main airline management software - they are informed of things such as op-ups (such as, 1 or 2 pax going to get upgraded, pre-print their boarding pass for collection at the gate) by EK staff if they want to try and speed up the process by pre-printing boarding passes. This is especially true for stations with no boarding pass printers/EK system online access at the gate. Some stations don't bother with this. |
Upgrade given: Y - J
Upgrade location: Check-in Route: JED-DXB Flight number: EK804 Type of ticket: Flex Plus Date of travel: 290915 Tier status: Silver/ Blue (Wife) Tier miles to date: 3,500 Skywards miles balance: 70,000 Number of pax on the same PNR: 2 |
Originally Posted by m3red
(Post 25627006)
Supposedly all upgrades will soon be done from DXB and not from outstations to prevent cough cough $ changing hands and to ensure the "right" pax get upgraded ie status pax first. They are supposedly improving the platinum experience but there may be more chance of Jennifer joining me in the shower with a bottle of Dom than that happening any time soon.
Far better to have a clear audit trail that flags up whenever someone gets upgraded without status (or any upgrades that are occurring when status pax aren't) so them to chase up later rather than delay flights getting dispatched, I think. Think of all of those situations where you have 15 staff waiting to get on a plane and last minute no shows - and the departure/arrival wave setup of EK at DXB and it's a recipe for disaster (by that - delays, or worse, revenue managers not overbooking because the load control can't keep up!). However, we know EK IT and EK Audit are clearly not the more effective departments! (the iO stolen miles thing case in point!) They can't even send an automatic email when a PNR gets cancelled... About the platinum experience: knowing EK they'd probably up the Tier Miles requirement to 250k and claim it's an improvement because it's now "more exclusive" :rolleyes: |
Originally Posted by m3red
(Post 25627006)
Supposedly all upgrades will soon be done from DXB and not from outstations
Originally Posted by m3red
(Post 25627006)
They are supposedly improving the platinum experience
|
Originally Posted by eternaltransit
(Post 25627457)
Upgrades/seat assignments all being cleared by DXB sounds like a concept dreamt up on the upper floors of EGHQ which completely ignores realities on the ground :D
................................................ Quite apart from the practical issues you go on to highlight in your second para, I can see a basic paradox as regards the balance between devolved authority & a system of communist-like wholly centralised control. Ok, some fundamental criteria will of course be set down by any company's HQ. However.....given that most carriers would - understandably - measure the performance of regional/country managers based in outstations around the network against their respective yield/revenue/profitability figures, there is no sense or commercial logic in then removing their power to make local, pragmatic decisions without the need to refer back each & every time to HQ. There is the added problem of huge time zone differences where global organisations are concerned. It's rare for the most senior HQ personnel to be on duty outside 'conventional' working hours. And so it would be perverse for a country manager to be required to refer in advance every upgrade/seat allocation to someone back at DXB (where it might be 3am) - and specifically, someone who might well be lower down the pecking order than that country manager. |
Originally Posted by eternaltransit
(Post 25626595)
You may be 100% certain, but I'm afraid that is not actually the case in reality - a member of EK staff (the load controller) at the station (or departure control at DXB) will make those changes manually - however, once the seat assignment is changed in the system, that gets propagated out to the customer-facing systems. As a passenger, you will, in 99% of the times you fly, never see this individual.
\ Also an interesting question of course, which I'm sure has been discussed here, is whether it's based on status (and then seniority, who had status first) or tier miles to date... |
Originally Posted by skywardhunter
(Post 25631840)
Also an interesting question of course, which I'm sure has been discussed here, is whether it's based on status (and then seniority, who had status first) or tier miles to date...
I think its based on tier status and fare paid...i dont expect someone on a Special Fare would be given priority over someone in a Flex plus fare considering one is a Platinum and the other is a gold |
Originally Posted by Smartlife987
(Post 25631890)
I think its based on tier status and fare paid...i dont expect someone on a Special Fare would be given priority over someone in a Flex plus fare considering one is a Platinum and the other is a gold
Perhaps between people at the same level who knows. Its always been a bit random. |
Originally Posted by Smartlife987
(Post 25631890)
I think its based on tier status and fare paid...i dont expect someone on a Special Fare would be given priority over someone in a Flex plus fare considering one is a Platinum and the other is a gold
1. status (doesn't matter which booking class) 2. more than 1 passenger with same status - the one with more tier miles (sometimes if it is close they compare the booking class) 3. non-status passenger, highest booking class (some stations prefer EK bookings over TA bookings, though) |
"Normally" and ''Should be" are of course the key words here !
Yep, there are undoubtedly basic criteria & policy guidelines in place ; but the degree to which these are sometimes ignored/tweaked means it can all end up as a bit of a lottery. Not least at some outstations. I liken it to the way in which some folk try to select flights based on loads shown in EF, with the aim of cracking the system to ensure an op-up on the day. No harm in maximising your chances of course. But ......the danger is that expectation can so often turn into disappointment .....:( In similar vein .....the immutable law of upgrades is that one's chances decrease dramatically if you actually attempt to talk your way into one. |
Originally Posted by subject2load
(Post 25632059)
"Normally" and ''Should be" are of course the key words here !
Yep, there are undoubtedly basic criteria & policy guidelines in place ; but the degree to which these are sometimes ignored/tweaked means it can all end up as a bit of a lottery. Not least at some outstations. |
Based on my experience my parents who were blue have been upgraded several times from DXB to J from Y despite no status whilst people with status have not been upgraded but the fare paid by them has usually been higher
|
Well there you go, shows how random it can be.
Nevertheless, am very surprised at the "several times", given the lack of status. They seem to have been extremely fortunate based on what you say (and assuming there were no special factors involved) PS - what were the routes out of interest ....? |
Hi
Well I think it was the fares paid and the route was Dubai to Sydney on the Boeing 777-200 I got upgraded on same flight and was only silver again high fare class I have also got upgraded dubai - dar whilst my friend who was gold travelling with me was not upgraded |
Hmm.... well I'm still somewhat surprised - especially re your Gold friend losing out to yourself as Silver. But then again you're not the first to report such oddities.
The normal procedure (as one might expect) is of course Plat, followed by Gold, then Silver. And any IO's who happened to be travelling would (theoretically!) be ahead of all those. eternaltransit has good insight on these matters. Perhaps he's not around today, but I do know that he has said more than once that - in the heat of battle, just ahead of flight despatch - controllers usually have little time/inclination to bother drilling down into specific fare types. |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 4:52 am. |
This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.