Auto upgrade
Jan 30, 2018 | 11:10 am
#121
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 6,930
haha thanks - we are on the 2 class on Friday 2nd as my wife who is pregnant wont take the 4am. 🙂. We are at the other end of the island otherwise Id meet for a beer 🍺
Jan 30, 2018 | 12:25 pm
#122
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: MT, USA
Programs: Ex-5C club, Skymiles Gold
Posts: 454
Jan 30, 2018 | 12:56 pm
#123
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,836
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.
Feb 1, 2018 | 1:09 am
#125
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: UAE
Programs: Skywards Gold/ Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 43
Ok guys, I'm taking a huge gamble here but I want to book cattle class DXB-PER in May. Any chance of a free upgrade do you reckon? If so should I get flex or flex plus or should I just pay up? My husband says to just buy F and collect some serious tier miles, but they are not as much as say BNE. I will get 62,000 miles and 28,000 Tiers.
Feb 1, 2018 | 3:49 am
#127
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: UAE
Programs: Skywards Gold/ Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 43
DH is at the airport now, they gave him a conditional upgrade, and if nobody pays cash before boarding time then the seat is his. Seriously? I'm in shock TBH. What is this that EK are doing?
Feb 1, 2018 | 4:17 am
#128
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,836
This is probably a route on which EK often sells 'walkup tickets'. So they don't make award upgrades available at all. Any airline would rather sell tickets at high prices (walkup is normally Flex+, I think but correct me if I'm wrong) than just taking a few miles off their balance sheet (and with EK's 3 year validity rule they'll disappear anyway). So although none of us 'mile rich wannabe upgraders' likes it, it needs to be looked at from a business perspective and unfortunately they are right as far as that is concerned.
What they have told DH is that if it comes to on-board space available upgrades he is first in the queue. Now isn't that nice of them...
Feb 1, 2018 | 4:47 am
#129
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,836
Ok guys, I'm taking a huge gamble here but I want to book cattle class DXB-PER in May. Any chance of a free upgrade do you reckon? If so should I get flex or flex plus or should I just pay up? My husband says to just buy F and collect some serious tier miles, but they are not as much as say BNE. I will get 62,000 miles and 28,000 Tiers.
One thing I don't understand is that you want to buy 'cattle class' (by which usually Y is meant) and DH wants you to buy F. You can't upgrade from Y to F (and you certainly wont get an op up Y-F).
That apart, you will only get a free upgrade if the cabin you are booked in is full and you are high enough on the list to qualify. However high you are on the list: no overbooking = no upgrade (I am sure you know all of this).
So the main question is (before you buy an expensive Flex+ ticket): will Y be oversold on DXB/PER on your day of travel. No-one knows. And that is the gamble we are talking about. The only reference I can give you is availability from tomorrow and the next 6 days. Does not look good for op-ups: plenty of availability in Y (and in J and F for that matter). But if there is a big spike in demand for PER in May it may be different.
My 2c worth.
Feb 1, 2018 | 5:01 am
#130
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: UAE
Programs: Skywards Gold/ Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 43
I guess there are different ways of interpreting this (although I agree it is a bit 'strange').
This is probably a route on which EK often sells 'walkup tickets'. So they don't make award upgrades available at all. Any airline would rather sell tickets at high prices (walkup is normally Flex+, I think but correct me if I'm wrong) than just taking a few miles off their balance sheet (and with EK's 3 year validity rule they'll disappear anyway). So although none of us 'mile rich wannabe upgraders' likes it, it needs to be looked at from a business perspective and unfortunately they are right as far as that is concerned.
What they have told DH is that if it comes to on-board space available upgrades he is first in the queue. Now isn't that nice of them...
This is probably a route on which EK often sells 'walkup tickets'. So they don't make award upgrades available at all. Any airline would rather sell tickets at high prices (walkup is normally Flex+, I think but correct me if I'm wrong) than just taking a few miles off their balance sheet (and with EK's 3 year validity rule they'll disappear anyway). So although none of us 'mile rich wannabe upgraders' likes it, it needs to be looked at from a business perspective and unfortunately they are right as far as that is concerned.
What they have told DH is that if it comes to on-board space available upgrades he is first in the queue. Now isn't that nice of them...
Feb 1, 2018 | 9:29 am
#131
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,836
Feb 5, 2018 | 5:59 am
#133
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,836
<div style="text-align:left;"><br /><br />I wonder if an EF alert is not more effective than auto upgrade. The latter seems quite patchy. And I have also read stories that the call centre can sometimes find award space which is not visible anywhere else....</div>
Mar 26, 2018 | 7:42 am
#135
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 76
I can report that the auto upgrade function works quite well for me. Example: was flying 2 weeks ago HAM-DXB-SIN-DXB-HAM, booked approx. 3 months in advance in J and activated auto upgrade for all flights. Segment 1 was confirmed almost immedietaly after booking, Segment 2 approx. 10 weeks before scheduled departure and Segment 3 3 days before. Only on DXB-HAM I was in J.