Unsuccessful auction bid for upgrade to F
 

My wife and I returned from SYD to LHR in business class. Before this flight we were invited to bid cash for an upgrade to first class. We bid just over the minimum at £700 each. On the day of the flight we received an email stating our bids had failed. When we checked in at Sydney airport I asked if there were vacant seats in F. I was told that 4 seats were available. I got the same answer when arriving st the lounge and again when leaving the lounge to board the flight.

I expected we would be given F boarding passes at the gate but no we remained in business. The flight was great . But i am confused and surprised that our bids were not accepted. Any thoughts on what was happening?

They can refuse any bid. Being the only bidder does not mean they have to accept it. if you would've bid 1000 or more you may have been successful - but not even certain at that price point. They decide on the winner (typically) 24 hours before the flight.

Back in December I had the minimum bid turned down for Y to J on a AUH-BKK flight. When I arrived at the gate I got an OP up to J for some unknown reason. The J cabin was about 20% full with lots of spare seats. My wife and son who were originally booked in J got an OP up to F. My wife and son were the only passengers in F on the flight & the flight attendants let spend most of the time with them in F and let me eat with them.

They do not fill all empty seats with Plusgrades.

A lot of American based flyers find empty seats in a premium cabin shocking, but that's how most carriers worldwide operate.

Apologies if off topic a little. I am confused: with so many empty seats in business class, why would they OP up pax to an otherwise empty F cabin? It doesn't seem to make much sense to me. I fail to see the logic.

Because the OP doesn't understand how profitable airlines work.

Opups occur during oversold situations.

who said anything about an oversold situation? OP stated business class was only 20% full. That does not sound oversold to me? Even if Y was oversold they would usually not OP UP anyone from J-F until J was full of OP UPed Y passengers

I agree. I didn't understand it either. But, there was a last minute change of aircraft which may have had something to do with it. The flight was originally booked on EY metal, it then changed to Jet two months before departure. When we arrived in AUH the flight said delayed 5 hours. Ten minutes later it said on time. When we boarded, the pane had changed back to EY metal.

<sigh>

That's my point. Flight was not over sold. That's when opups occur. OP doesn't understand.

Noted. But eddibabyyeah is trying to understand why he was OpUped which is very unusual. Must be some type of error in the system

I think perhaps OP meant it was 20% full pre-op ups? Though not sure how one would know that.

Have never seen op up's to next cabin if plane isnt full in the previous cabin.

As the name implies, an operational upgrade is an upgrade for operational reasons. Such an upgrade may occur when the original cabin is overbooked, or for any number of other reasons at the airline's discretion.

Johan