Award tickets and upgrading to business
Jun 11, 21, 8:51 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 3
Award tickets and upgrading to business
I am looking to use my Avios to buy 2 business tickets but Iberia website does not show any availability (looks like award tickets already sold). It does show Economy (regular and blue class) award tickets for the days I am interested in. Unfortunately I dont have much flexibility regarding travel dates but I am booking far out (April 2022).
- What are the chances Iberia will make additional business tickets available for Avios in the future? I have plenty of time to wait.
- If I purchase 2 economy tickets for cash or Avios now, is it possible to upgrade for cash or Avios in the future. Does it matter if its a regular or blue class award tickets?
Jun 12, 21, 7:31 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,575
If you have plenty of time to wait, just wait...
IB+ are unlikely to release more J award seats, but there might be a cancellation that sees the original seats put back into inventory. Same for PE.
Don't book a Y seat with cash or Avios unless you are happy to fly Y. You need to book an expensive cash fare to upgrade using Avios, and to cancel and rebook in the case of Avios.
IB+ are unlikely to release more J award seats, but there might be a cancellation that sees the original seats put back into inventory. Same for PE.
Don't book a Y seat with cash or Avios unless you are happy to fly Y. You need to book an expensive cash fare to upgrade using Avios, and to cancel and rebook in the case of Avios.
Oct 25, 21, 8:10 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 165
does Iberia release J award seats at the last minute?
I'm looking to book award travel from JFK to MAD in business on 10/29 and only PE is available now. I know, I only have a few days left.
what's the likelihood of Iberia releasing more award seats?
thx
I'm looking to book award travel from JFK to MAD in business on 10/29 and only PE is available now. I know, I only have a few days left.
what's the likelihood of Iberia releasing more award seats?
thx
Oct 26, 21, 9:44 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,389
I managed to book J award seats to ORD a few weeks before my intended travel dates in the past when there had been no availability. I could tell that the J cabin was lightly booked so I kept checking award availability daily until something opened up on those dates. It may be a different story now because of the still limited schedule, as J seats to the US seem have been in very scarce supply recently, and they're also probably selling out fast for hard cash, so I wouldn't hold my hopes up for the near future.
Jun 26, 23, 6:22 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Queens, NY
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, OW Emerald, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,065
booked PE JFK-MAD for 35k many months ago because no biz class seats were available. Today they just released 5 business class award seats, 50k.
Jul 1, 23, 7:06 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 35
We have experienced last minute J award seats being released.
Booked last June for February half term just gone, MAD>SJO>MAD. Got 4 seats outbound, and 3 back when originally booking. A few days before returning I checked and there were 8(!) J award seats available. In other days before and after 2 or 3.
On the plane all business seats were taken.
Checked a few weeks ago, and again last minute seats were available same route, which makes me think this is a new strategy of IB, and not just something covid related as it could have oringally been.
Booked last June for February half term just gone, MAD>SJO>MAD. Got 4 seats outbound, and 3 back when originally booking. A few days before returning I checked and there were 8(!) J award seats available. In other days before and after 2 or 3.
On the plane all business seats were taken.
Checked a few weeks ago, and again last minute seats were available same route, which makes me think this is a new strategy of IB, and not just something covid related as it could have oringally been.
Jul 1, 23, 10:47 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,389
We have experienced last minute J award seats being released.
Booked last June for February half term just gone, MAD>SJO>MAD. Got 4 seats outbound, and 3 back when originally booking. A few days before returning I checked and there were 8(!) J award seats available. In other days before and after 2 or 3.
On the plane all business seats were taken.
Checked a few weeks ago, and again last minute seats were available same route, which makes me think this is a new strategy of IB, and not just something covid related as it could have oringally been.
Booked last June for February half term just gone, MAD>SJO>MAD. Got 4 seats outbound, and 3 back when originally booking. A few days before returning I checked and there were 8(!) J award seats available. In other days before and after 2 or 3.
On the plane all business seats were taken.
Checked a few weeks ago, and again last minute seats were available same route, which makes me think this is a new strategy of IB, and not just something covid related as it could have oringally been.
Jul 1, 23, 11:20 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,575
I suspect that IB will try to fill the J cabin in whichever way possible whether it be by selling cheap OLCI upgrades or by making Avios seats available at the last minute. Last October I flew MAD-MIA in PE and the day before departure Expert Flyer showed the flight as J8 C8 D5 I2, so there were still 8 J seats up for sale. I was offered an upgrade for USD 320 when OLCI opened up about 36 hours before departure, which I took. Within 12 hours EF was showing the flight as J0 C0 D0 I0, so the J cabin was now sold out, whereas the PE cabin showed more seats available, which implied that a few other passengers had taken up the same OLCI upgrade. The J cabin was completely full at take-off. I wouldn't be surprised if Avios seats were also made available at the last moment, after all the cash equivalent for 50K Avios is higher than the USD 320 IB was asking for a PE-J upgrade..
It's also entirely possible that:
- Paid J loads are down because business travel is down
- Paid Y / PE loads are higher because leisure travel is up
- IB wants to extract € from passengers instead of giving free op-ups.
