I think you touched on this earlier on in the thread, this auto option seems to be a way of reducing Op-ups. Although different circumstances for you, I would be annoyed getting the upgrade so close to departure, having missed out on the F lounge and if important to the individual the better CD if applicable.

This also seems to be a good ploy at charging Pax the higher amount of miles by auto upgrading the segments as individual. Granted it may be possible to call up and have them combined like others have been able to do so but the average customer will not know this.

Obviously clever from EK but rather annoying.

As your bag would have already gone through will they come out the other end with business tags or do they get changed to First? Again not a major deal but when you've used the miles for the upgrade you should get the full package.

I guess the issue is: is the availability of Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge more desirable than access to the F lounge?

Only you know the answer....

I'm still waiting for my auto upgrade....dum de dum.....7 days to go....2 seats blocked, 3 seats booked....there is still a chance of us getting the 2 seats we need.

EF is showing F4 A4 still
I think that this is good news for me although auto
Upgrade is pending!

Just to let you guys know that F was empty, only 2 other pax besides us, we got the upgrade in the end but had to get pull from Dubai end. They were not giving away any other seats even though the other classes were heaving. I guess that they hold out for cash paying passengers now.

I have a question related to this: I'm flying West Coast US to Dubai... then Dubai to Cape Town... then Dubai back to West Coast a few weeks later. Bought whatever that second-cheapest type of ticket was (Flex Saver or something?) that offered the good deal on upgrading with miles. Was able to upgrade the first leg immediately, so woohoo! The 2nd and 3rd leg have empty business class seats but show no upgrade availability so I signed up for "Alerts".

Here is my dilemma though: I suspect – and please tell me if I'm wrong — that "auto upgrade" people will get any seats first before any alerts would fire. If so, that means I should probably move from Alerts to Auto Upgrade. Again, please tell me if this logic seems wrong. Problem is, I'd then have to transfer a bunch of points from my AMEX to Emirates in advance... and if I never get upgraded, I'm stuck with a bunch of Emirates points instead of more flexible AMEX points.

So, would you do this? Also, if I do this, can Emirates points be used pretty much 1:1 with Alaska airlines? In other words, is having Emirates points numerically the same as having Alaska points? I fly Alaska a lot.

Thanks!

Chickenmittens, I'm not sure about any of it as auto upgrade has never worked for me yet! What I do know is that if you set it then you need the miles there, obvi, and I suspect that they get auto upgraded at the same time as alerts are sent out. Who gets priority? Again don't know, I had to use pull to get my upgrade in the end, so I know that everything can be by passed. Sorry for my useless effort. My husband is now waiting for an upgrade for a flight this Thursday and it says auto upgrades stop 72 hours before departure.

I've cancelled an auto-upgrade as well. Its a waste of time - here is what will happen. Empty ish flight in F 4/14 - EK may*** may offer it at check in but unlikely. The likelihood is I will have to call and complain or tweet that you won't open F seats on an empty flight for 2 platinums and hey presto seats may materialsie or they'll wait until the gate like the MAN flights recently.

I had an upgrade notification text and email (after canceliing auto-upgrade) on a flight this week, 3 pax from J to F on a business saver 46,000 miles each. DXB -MRU

Last December I was flying with my daughter from LGW to DXB, busy season, the day after boarding schools broke up for winter break. I didn't set auto upgrade because I didn't want one of us to get it and not the other, so I set alerts for both of us. One morning I checked just for the heck of it and upgrade was suddenly available. I hadn't received an alert yet but I opened both of our bookings simultaneously and they both had the option so I clicked them together and got the upgrades. I don't know if anyone else got the alert or auto but after that I feel that it is DIY and we must check it several times a day. I have a rather dim secretary so that will be her main role now, checking for upgrade availability.

Fab! We are at the Outrigger in Bel Ombre, first time to MRU so we are super excited, bet you are glad you aren't flying sunday with a Toddler in F

4th through to the 18th - need the break

Ps -you've gained an IG follower