Best days for Business Class availability at check-in?
Jan 17, 2020, 7:29 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: Continental, American
Posts: 288
Best days for Business Class availability at check-in?
Hello all... This year I will be traveling between Houston, and Bergen, Norway via AMS on a regular basis, once a month. I am recently retired, and so I will be paying for it, and am free to choose whatever days work best for me. I have noticed that I am often offered an upgrade to Business Class when that cabin is not full. The cost is reasonable to me. So my question to anyone who flies this route regularly, are there better days when there is more availability, hence a better chance for me to score these upgrades? I've learned that Sunday is not one of those days. 
Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance.
Jan 17, 2020, 8:53 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: Continental, American
Posts: 288
Hi Meneer... thank you for your reply. May I ask about the "contract"? I am not savvy enough I guess to know what that is, or how one is obtained. My current (soon to be previous) alliance is with UA, but getting from IAH to BGO with UA is always a nightmare because of connections, and baggage reclaim, so I figured I'd switch to KLM as I can check my bags all the way through.
Jan 17, 2020, 9:10 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,722
And I don't think the suggestion was that you should get yourself such a contract - but rather, the poster was showing you which days are typically "quieter".
why couldn't you check your bag all the way through with United? It appears you may have been travelling on separate tickets - but there's no obvious reason why.
Jan 17, 2020, 10:07 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: Continental, American
Posts: 288
Thanks Irishguy28...
I can check luggage all the way through on UA/SAS on one ticket, but that usually means connections via CPH, or OSL, and often times EWR. With KLM, it is just simple to fly IAH-AMS-BGO. I have not found any better routing than this, but if anyone has a better route, I'd like to hear of it.
I can check luggage all the way through on UA/SAS on one ticket, but that usually means connections via CPH, or OSL, and often times EWR. With KLM, it is just simple to fly IAH-AMS-BGO. I have not found any better routing than this, but if anyone has a better route, I'd like to hear of it.
Jan 17, 2020, 11:00 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,120
I suspect it would also depend on holidays, trade shows, fare sales, etc. on both sides of the Atlantic. I suggest getting an expertflyer subscription so you can gauge loads. I would also ask advice from check-in staff or at the ticket desk at IAH (e.g. when buying the upgrade). If you will fly monthly you will get to know some of them.