jhsia314

I am waiting on two flights currently waitlisted for PE to Business. It is from LAX-TPE and TPE-LAX.

One PE is L and the other is K.

I am diamond class, but actually first time using miles to upgrade so not sure what are the likelihood of getting this upgraded. It's been a couple of weeks and the flight is in 14 days.

Also, if I am short of 3000 miles, can I purchase the miles after I am confirmed on upgrade, or should I purchase the miles in advance?

Thanks!

hlee628

If you are a Diamond member then the likelihood is high. Of the times that I've waitlisted as a Diamond member (31 times to date), I've only missed twice, and both were within the last year due to Business class being completely full. I am based in LA also and find that the morning flight (BR5) usually has the lowest yield since it arrives in TPE too late for most connections. Both times I missed the upgrade it was the late night BR15 flight.

Did you confirm the upgrade via the website or by calling in? You need to have the mileage in your account by the time the upgrade is confirmed, but the LAX office will usually call you if you have insufficient mileage and also do a last minute confirmation that you want to process the upgrade.

foodcrazyboy

I'm in a similar situation (booked PE T Class, waitlisted 5 months ago using EVA miles) with my flight in 6 days (BR5 out of LAX) except I am only a lowly green member. Should I get my hopes up at all or is it quite difficult to clear as a green member?

BuBu4

i have missed twice on BR5 as a green member. chances arent very high. Diamond, is a different story though.

hlee628

Yeah I don't think I would get my hopes up as a lower tier member. Though that being said, if you can get through to EVA's customer service line, some of the nicer agents will let you know which days to book to have a better chance, or if there is availability outright on a specific day.

jhsia314

yup, as suspected, my flight is tomorrow night from LAX - TPE and although I'm Diamond class, I am still on waitlist, and likely won't get the upgrade. Should I call Eva Air to confirm?

joelee488

Hard to call their CS the line always busy.. I recently upgrade from YYZ to TPE from standard PE ticket to Biz with 40K EVA points, but my upgrade was instantly confirmed i was only Green at that time.

BuBu4

am surprised u didnt get dropped from the waitlist yet. If your still on it, it usually means there might still be a chance. They usually kick me off the list a little bit before the 48 hour mark.
Either that, or they put u on the list for a no show J class passenger.

hlee628

I have the same experience. They usually remove you from the waitlist at the 24-48 hour mark if the upgrade doesn't clear.

Based on the BR website, it looks like the LAX-TPE flights are all sold out for today and tomorrow, which explains why you didn't clear.

I have a flight booked for 1/13 on the same route and the upgrade already cleared, so if the load is light they do clear Diamond members early.

foodcrazyboy

Just a follow up, I did in fact clear the waitlist as a green member (BR16 on the return TPE-LAX)

Initially, waitlist was cancelled at T-48 according to EVA app. However, I called the Taipei office to see if I can switch my mileage program to KF so that I at least get *G/early boarding. But during the call, they acknowledged that that I was on the waitlist and if I still wanted to switch mileage programs. I asked if there is still a chance and they said wait until 4:30pm day of departure to see if there is a change. Otherwise, call back to change to Krisflyer program.

I received a call TEN minutes after the first one confirming I have been cleared into business class (all but one seat taken).

I was fully content with PE as I think it is much better than SQ’s, but this made my day even more as I wasn’t expecting anything as a green member 😊

hlee628

That's a good data point. In this case it does appear that there is "last seat availability" going on with upgrades, even for Green members. Some airlines would just let the flight go out with empty seats. I wonder if you calling in had anything at all to do with it?

Davvidd

I always call ahead and ask them and they tell me what flights have seat availability. Then I purchase my PE ticket. As Diamond it is obvious you are number one on the list. I am only a G and they do tell me the situation when I call them beforehand. Obviously I try to buy my ticket as soon as I can and never had they downgraded me once I have purchased my ticket.
Did you get your upgrade Jshia?

BuBu4

some reason, there is always more TPE-->LAX J opened than LAX-->TPE J.
im guessing its because of the longer flight times?

dkc192

Possibly because two out of three LAX-TPE flights arrive in the early morning, making that the preferable direction to fly J if one can only do so in one direction.