Did you manage to upgrade the extra 2 at check in, on board etc? Did you try anything other than enrolling the other 2 passengers on the auto-upgrade feature?

Was on the EK65 DXB-STN today. Checked in at the airport yesterday afternoon after I got off another flight. I asked about an upgrade and was told it was up to the flight manager who decides based on status when check in closes but they blocked off the required points and put me on the waitlist. There were 3 available seats out of six. Got to the airport 3 hours before the flight and met the same agent. Asked again and she said same thing. Checked my app as soon as check in closed and my seat number had changed to 2A. We flew with one empty seat in the cabin.

If it helps, I had a reward business flex plus ticket and I’m blue.

and that’s exactly what happens on busy flights ex dxb. Contrast to stn dxb where it would be first come first serve at check in.

Ahhhh I think when I quoted your original reply I'd misunderstood the term "ex dxb" as meaning "excluding flights out of dxb" but presumably it means the precise opposite? :idea:

My wife and I are only EK Blue status, so it doesn't sound like we'd fare too well at DXB trying for 2x upgrades from Biz Flex Plus to First to London :(

Does seat availability in other classes count for anything in this decision by flight control? (I.e. if business seats are oversold, will they hold on till T-1hr in case there aren't no shows and they need the first class seats to upgrade some business ticket holders) etc?

Amazing to know these gamechanger upgrades do sometimes occur, as that would be my ultimate target. And may I know how many points they charged for this one way upgrade from Biz flex plus to First please?

The STN route does not seem to be nearly as premium heavy as the LHR (and to a lesser degree the LGW) route. There have been quite a few mentions of upgrades to gamechanger where the passenger was one of two or three in the cabin. If you can handle STN, it seems to be a valid way to try the product.

The miles required are on the mileage calculator on the website (it’s under “Loyalty”). It has just changed, so what Silsane paid is quite irrelevant.

Having said that, I have just been charged the ‘old’ rate for a J -> F upgrade on AMS/DXB…..

30k for the upgrade.

Ah that's exactly why I was asking funnily enough :D and it looks like he paid the old price too 30k

Perhaps it's determined by the date you booked your original itinerary?

This is what I've been seeing on EF a lot of these flights seem to have empty seats in First in the final hours pre departure, but it's hard to know whether those seats are typically filled by other means on day of departure, so the anecdotal evidence of those who are successful and seeing free seats is helpful/reassuring data for me.

I'd gladly fly into STN for the chance to sample the gamechanger, although having not flown EK First ever before I'm uncertain if I'd get a better overall experience by flying the A380 product on an evening or night flight, since the DXB-STN flight is an 0820 departure arriving 1210 into STN.

@ bobmirror : having perused this thread and your various queries, along with responses offered (many of which are from some very experienced EK flyers !) I would just caution you to manage your expectations in terms of last minute moves up into F on busy routes - if only because that’s where your low status can, to be honest, count against you, specifically if you happen to be ‘in competition’ with others on the day.

I myself have been using Emirates from a year or so after its birth (albeit not with the same frequency as some others who have been contributing here) and from personal experience can tell you that things can be quite tricky when it comes to securing seats in the way you hope to. My flying with EK over the decades has been mostly in F with a fair bit of J class too, but it was only during the period when I was Gold that I was able to snag late changes from J-F. I dropped to lowly blue a while back, and so now I tend to book the cabin I wish to travel in from the get-go, so to speak.

Moving on to the question of 777 with the ‘game-changer’ F versus A380 F ……. I have just (December) flown both, and very close to each other. I had previously flown F in the ‘standard’ 777 many times and likewise the 380, but this was my first experience of the game-changer …… which I flew BRU-DXB as one of only three pax and then, after a few days in DXB, I continued on to MEL on a 380 service. My personal thoughts are that the game-changer 777 is an impressive, very comfortable, product and without doubt has a feel of exclusivity being restricted to just six seats. That said, my (much longer) 380 sector provided a reminder of a) just what a great aircraft it is overall and b) the fact that the lounge and shower ‘spa’ really does offer something different in terms of a flying experience, all helped considerably of course when you get an efficient & motivated crew (which I can truthfully say has invariably been the case for me over the years).

Not entirely sure whether the above will be of help to you in your current quest but either way I wish you a good trip and happy flying with EK. Even when not actually using them, I still get quite a thrill whenever I spot one of their aircraft parked up at an airport on my travels around the world :p

depends on that teams discretion, status etc. I would think you’d be listed.

EK18/EK20/EK22 tend to fly right over my house at the start of their journey to DXB. If I'm out for a walk, I'll be stood there gawping and wishing I was on board :D

subject2load thank you for this message, absolutely taken on board that this is worth tempering my expectations a little. That said I'm keen to be armed with as much data & advice on it, so as to have the best possible chance and I've been overwhelmed by the vast amounts of help and advice that everyone offers up in this community, not least from super experienced flyers/FTcontributors such as DYKWIA m3red and many more, the latest of which being yourself! So thank you all for that, I'm just starting my journey here but look forward to learning with you all and hopefully in time add my own value to the community.

Oh 100% that was super helpful, thanks so much, I think if I get to fly F on any of their routes I will be very satisfied indeed :D