Your Operational Upgrade Experiences 2019 - Please Post Here
 

Upgrade Given: Y-J
Upgrade Location: Gate (scribbled new seat number on existing Y boarding pass)
Route: BLR-DXB
Flight Number: EK565
Type of Ticket: Economy Flex Plus
Date of Travel: 31st December 2018 (sorry, the 2018 thread was closed...:D)
Tier Status: Blue
Tier Miles: 4,500
Skywards Miles Balance: 18,749
Number of Pax on the same PNR (including OP): 1
Number of Pax Upgraded: 1

Upgrade Given: M-F
Upgrade Location: Check-In counter
Route: MEL-DXB
Flight Number: EK409
Type of Ticket: Economy Flex
Date of Travel: 16 December, 2018
Tier Status: Blue
Tier Miles: 16,000
Skywards Miles Balance: 31,000
Number of Pax on the same PNR (including OP): 1
Number of Pax Upgraded: 1

I think this was my lucky day.
I have been a blue member for 5+ years now. On Dec 11th, I booked a last minute ticket to travel on the 14th, and then had to change it to the 16th of Dec (hint: paid ~ $300 for change). Before I got to the airport, I tried online check-in, but I was unable to select my seat so left it without update. At the check-in counter, I was the first one in line (honestly, I was hungry and needed to check-in ASAP to get ride of my luggage and enjoy my late lunch). The guy at the check-in counter took my luggage and asked me If I have checked-in online already, I said "Yes but it wasn't completed" . He asked me to wait a moment, made a phone call to his supervisor, mumbled for second, and told me "I have a better seat for you". Me: "is it a window seat or a business seat you mean?". He handed me the ticket, and I couldn't believe it!!!! It was my very first experience in business class for 14+ hrs flight. The best trip ever! :):-:

Hopefully luck smiles at me on the 17th this month for my return trip.

Upgrade given: Y - J
Upgrade location: Gate
Route: SIN-BNE
Flight number: EK432
Type of ticket: Saver
Date of travel: 17/01/19
Tier status: Silver
Tier miles to date: 36,500
Skywards miles balance: 35,000
Number of pax on the same PNR (Including OP): 1
Number of pax upgraded: 1

Good to see a couple of upgrades on Saver tickets. A change in policy or just good luck?

Upgrade given: Y - J
Upgrade location: Check-in desk
Route: CAI-DXB
Flight number: EK928
Type of ticket: Flex Plus
Date of travel: 28/01/19
Tier status: Gold
Tier miles to date: 24,000
Skywards miles balance: 111,000
Number of pax on the same PNR (Including OP): 1
Number of pax upgraded: 1

First one of the year for me:


Upgrade given: Y - J
Upgrade location: Mobile BP updated around 8 hours before departure while I was on previous flight
Route: DXB-HYD
Flight number: EK526
Type of ticket: Flex
Date of travel: 02/02/19
Tier status: Gold
Tier miles to date: 70,000, my tier year reset the day before this flight
Skywards miles balance: 24,000
Number of pax on the same PNR (Including OP): 1
Number of pax upgraded: 1

I'm on a Eco Flex ticket on a flight tomorrow, DXB-SYD. Looking at the loading the Y saver classes havie been sold out for a long time (more than 2 weeks), but there is still availability in the flex and flex plus. This looks like a lost cause, but I'm unsure what's going on. For a few days before OLCI the seating plan for eco has basically been rammed. Even 2 weeks before it was half allocated. There are about 5 seats unallocated at this point. That doesn't add up to me as there must be people checking in at the airport. So, questions:

• Is it possible that Y is oversold despite there being Flex tickets available?
• Any ideas why the seats are all allocated, even before OLCI it was well over 90% allocated?

Crossing my fingers

EK dies some kind of "shadow" check-in of pax shortly before OLCI opens where many (but for some reason not always all) pax are auto-assigned seats. I might be that all non-preferred or above seats get assigned. It could be oversold, it could not be. It could be just exactly full.

Had a similar experience a few days ago. JFK-DXB, the availability on EF was more than 9 seats, but the seat map showed an almost full (<5 seats empty) flight. On the Emirates website, the wife and me couldn't select seats which were together, so we decided to try our luck at the airport.
At the check in counter, when we asked if we could be seated together, the agent did one better and got us a 4 seater row to ourselves. Not just our row, but there were at least 6-7 rows of 4 seaters which had just two people at either ends of the row.
Still not sure what happened.

I'd be very happy with an empty seat next to me if it turns out it's not full. An upgrade would be nice, but just the ability to sit with my back flat against the seat would suffice.

It doesn't look like seats blocked for balance reasons. One minute it was busy but with a fair bit of free space, then suddenly nearly nothing is free. Each cabin section has one, max two single seats available.

Incidentally, on the flight over there were a LOT more seats blocked on the seat map than actually taken on the flight. Either half economy class did a no-show or Emirates blocked empty seats. Again, I'd be surprised if this was balance as they were blocked from 2 weeks before flight.

We'll see
​​​​i still have fingers crossed for an upgrade, but that empty seat will be more than sufficient