baz2277

Update : I've managed to book DXB-AMS in First for the grand sum of Ł28! I pretty much used the miles I had and paid for the taxes with them as well. Very happy!!!

No Chauffeur Drive from the hotel to DXB but it's only a short metro ride so am not too bothered!

Now does anyone know if you still get the Bulgari aftershave in the amenities kit? Love the scent!!

JudeS

Delighted to receive email from EK letting me know that finally I have managed to upgrade DXB/STN on EK065 from J to F. It has taken since June for this to come through (flight on 13th December). I believe this is new F (unless it’s a change of equipment)!?

thijsseh

Yes, that’s new F
Currently 1E, 2F / K still available

Enjoy!

LovetoTravel83

Enjoy it. Was onboard that flight a couple of months ago. Make sure you get 2A if travelling alone as there is no traffic while being there, very private. Sadly I got sick prior to boarding that flight and slept for 5 hours and didn't eat anything.

Also ensure you have you're ticket ready once you land as everyone will literally run to the business/first immigration counter.

stiwi

I was recently flying from DXB to WAW and asked at DXB check in to upgrade me to F from J using miles. The check in staff has put the request but said I will only get to know when boarding the plane. She said there was F availability, however when I reached the plane and asked FA they said they are completely full in F. So either someone put a similar request to mine and was preferred e.g. due to status or being first on board or they had some op ups. For some strange reason upgrading to F was not possible from EK online dashboard.

thijsseh

A third possibility is that they managed to sell the available seat for cash just before the flight closed.
Getting the new BP at the gate happens quite a lot: they wait until the flight is closed and then allocate any upgrade requests (as per status, I understand). I have in the past also been given my new BP when leaving the lounge. Mrs t once got hers at the check in desk when she asked for the upgrade but so far that has been a once-off.

LovetoTravel83

I can recall a benefit called instant upgrade where you could have been upgraded on the spot. It seems like this benefit is now gone.

I had a similar experience to the previous poster when travelling LHR-DXB. I put in a request and didn't get to know I was upgraded until I boarded the plane.

DYKWIA

Sometimes that will still work. However, if they think there's a chance they will sell further F tickets, the upgrade won't be available until the gate or on board.

Flaneurs

It is official: ExpertFlyer will no longer show Z award space moving forward. I received an email that stated the following:

Quote:

Due to ongoing data issues, we will no longer be supporting the following airline awards in the Award & Upgrade search:

- EK (except for flex awards)
- BA (except for Gold Elite availability)
- QR
- MH

We understand this is not the desired outcome, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please let us know if you need additional assistance!

Thank you,
The ExpertFlyer.com Team

End Quote

Well, that isn’t exactly ideal and I suppose some more people will cancel their subscriptions. I guess using the EK website and the EK phone line are the only ways to see J to F availability now. Or am I missing something?

DYKWIA

It's been like that for at least a couple of years. I think anybody that was going to cancel would have already done so.

Flaneurs

Actually I believe that their official line was that the ExpertFlyer team was working to resolve the issue. Apparently now they have given up trying to solve the issue and are admitting that it won’t ever be coming back.

thijsseh

Although it would not make any real difference, it would be interesting to understand what the problem is. What do EK, BA, QR and MH have in common to make obtaining the data so difficult / impossible. And what has changed since a few years ago when this very useful feature was still available? Do they all use a different (version of the) GDS?

It would now help if EK would make looking for awards / upgrades on their website a bit easier. BA have a very useful app which makes it very easy and also on the website it is easy see Avio based availabilities. Generally, the BA IT setup is as clunky as the EK one, but in this area it is far ahead.

I'll continue to use EF from time to time, but much less frequently then I used to when Z bucket availability was still visible.

FederalFlyer

Is there a J to F bucket that is different from F simply being available?

I'm looking to upgrade a J award, which is set to auto-upgrade, and have been further searching online for any F availability in the event the auto-upgrade feature doesn't work. But, should I be calling into EK to see if there is some other upgrade availability?

redeternet7

Isnt it theoretically possible to “book” a first seat in flex and then cancel it last minute before seeking an upgrade?

thijsseh

I think you might refer to a ‘dummy booking’?
Yes, as (classic) awards book into the same fare bucket as upgrades, the ‘best’ way to check is to try to book a classic award. If that is available, the upgrade to that cabin is also available. So you can then book a J ticket with cash (not a ‘special’ fare as that is not upgradable) and then upgrade with miles. The number of miles required depends on the original ticket (a saver ticket costs more miles to upgrade than a Flex and a Flex more than a Flex+). The same also works for a Y to J upgrade, try to book a classic J award etc etc.