Auto upgrade
 

On the upgrade page via manage your booking, I see there is an auto upgrade feature - is that new or a platinum benefit? (This is my first booking since making it to plat).

Wow! I have it, too (as Gold). I guess its a new universal feature. Pretty awesome, too!

Wonder if this is Mueller's contributions beginning to show? With the seat selection cost, now this, the online change your flights has become way more usable and stable, as well.

Dont see anything :(

Is that for an uograde with miles and/or cash?

Miles

Sounds great, will definitely make use of it.

I only hope this won't be as unreliable as the upgrade alerts. When I'm waiting for upgrades to become available, I always sign up for alerts, but in about 90% of occasions I find upgrades are open before any SMS/email is sent out...

I think this depends on how many people are on the auto-upgrade already.

And how will people be selected if multiple have chosen the auto-upgrade?

First comes first base
Status
Type of ticket and booking class


So many questions......

I would assume, and the fairest way, is that it's first come first serve. when you select the auto-upgrade option a timestamp is recorded, when a seat opens up they look for the person who first select the auto-upgrade option.

Its available for all (if your fare allows it)

:D

Fair enough

maybe status will actually mean something?!

Clever move - operational upgrades will be even rarer now.

I am flying First and still got up grade option

I'd love to sit in the cockpit! How many miles is that? :P

Depends how attractive you are and if you don't make the cut, how many miles you can redeem for cosmetic surgery ;)

Well I can redeem them at DDF for jewellery and make-up, maybe that helps? But then again a guy covered in gold ear-rings and eyeliner may have the opposite of the desired effect

Would it be mischievous of me to think that people on saver fares would have more chance of getting auto-upgraded, as it uses more points?

Don't they have to wait until check-in?

Not if they are in J. The waiting till checkin bit is only for Y tickets.

Saver J from UK to DXB needs 39000 miles to upgrade to F and flex J costs 30000 miles.

Apologies, my mind lives in Y

Mine is also a combo of Y and J (50/50)

Usually try to upgrade the night flights to J. I don't bother much about the day flights especially on the DXB-DEL-DXB route.

Well those a easy free upgrades quite often. >=50% op-up rate on HYD routes this year for myself.

India is brilliant for cheap upgrades. I once upgraded from Y to F on a BOM-DXB leg for 90 dirhams (Y to J cost 60) plus taxes! Shame there aren't that many a380s flying to India.

That's true. Even as a silver (lost gold due to not travelling much on EK nowadays), DEL is very proactive in op ups.

Flying business from BHX (which is 2 class anyway) and get the same.

I'm not seeing this auto upgrade feature where described in the OP. Could that be due to one sector already being available for upgrade?

For clarity: Manage My Booking > Upgrade with Miles

It appears for myself on a Y Flex as Gold member. It may not appear based on certain criteria, we don't know, but it looks like this:

https://s10.postimg.cc/dlwe6b3vt/ekupgrade1.png

Same page for me but different options, and mine is a Y Flex as Gold too. Perhaps EK IT never thought that one flight might already be available but I might want to auto upgrade a different one.

You already have alerts set, perhaps this is why. If you cancel the alert does it show the option?

I thought of that myself and just tried it - no change. The modify/cancel alert page is another one that I won't hurry back to. How it passed software quality assurance (!) I'll never know.

I didn't realise the alerts and auto upgrades only work within 30 days of the flight until now either.

A good feature I came across that seemed to work OK was a new (to me) option in seat selection with a "Next Flight" button. Saves a bit time by not going back a page after each sector.

Pretty sure that's been around for a while, however EK is pretty good at getting the right seat selection for me automatically I find. The window nearest the front where the aisle is selected but middle is empty, that's my go-to.

I've only got one booking with EK at the moment where I usually have a few, so not been going in to check things as often and may have missed it.

I've never had a seat automatically selected, normally do it when booking and as I'm normally a very early booker I get a wide choice. Next year's might be different when I get round to booking those.

Do you have a seat preference set in your account? Mine is set to window so I always have window seats automatically selected when I book.

I do (aisle) but I've never noticed a seat being selected for me. I've always gone in and selected my own during/immediately after the booking process.

Anyone have any clue how this works?

Currently waitlisted for F for a miles upgrade - guess that's the same?

Yes if you select auto upgrade what exactly happens?

Presumably, if an upgrade becomes possible and you're next on the list the miles (if sufficient) are automatically deducted from your account and you are upgraded, automatically.

Yes that's clear, what is less clear is what if there is more people on that list than seats.

You'd presume status would count then?

See earlier on on the thread. FIFO. First come, First serve. Someone else guessed lowest fare type first (more miles required)

I doubt its FIFO. Do you have proof?

Surely status counts here?

I know for a fact I've got seats over golds before. If it is first come first serve its another nail in the Skywards program coffin.

Of course I don't have proof. The speculative nature of the above is pretty evident in the original discussion earlier in the thread.