Two weeks before a flight STR-AMS-JFK FD Helpdesk stated that there is no upgrade inventory available.

Two days before the flight now there are seats available but they can't be booked via FD helpdesk, so they said today on the phone. They could book upgrades only up to 14 days before flight (very strange thing).

So how are my chances that the checkin-agent (at STR or AMS?) or lounge personal or the gate-agent can upgrade me with points? What would be the best place to ask for the upgrade?

Despite the varying service-level in the AMS lounges, I'd give the people there a try. I don't know if it's possible, but when I've asked for availabilities of upgrades there before, I think they've asked if I was willing to pay ($ or points)...

Ralf, that is definately a real possibility, but make sure that KL knows about that as early as possible, probadly by a remark in the system, otherwise probadly other people are faster.
Last Sunday at DTW a man was asking about an upgrade with miles, but certainly there was no space available.In October back at SEA, I asked the Checkin staff about an upgrade ( actually I was asking about a free upgrade, cause they lost our seat reservations, but she thought, I would like to use points ) but told me that a couple of passengers had already upgraded with points.

They can upgrade you from one moment to the next, at least 48 hours prior to departure, but sometimes have to contact NW to ask for more availability, which an agent told me can take up to 7 days.

You should have no problems from AMS, but I can`t give no any information about using FD points for an upgrade on the way back from the US.

Anyway Good Luck and have a nice trip !!

Patrick

At Schiphol upgrading is possible at gate, subject to availability. It is also possible to inquire at the lounge, they have special forms to fill out. This sounds simple, but does not always work smoothly, as I discovered last month!

I was flying AMS-JNB and asked at the RW lounge about upgrading with FD points, but was told the flight was full, and advised to check later at the gate. Purely by chance, I later heard a young lady make the same request, and get the same answer.

At the gate this same young lady was ahead of me in line. She asked sweetly, and was given the last WBC seat, 4F. She was explicitly told that points would not be deducted from her FD account. Well, good for her!

I was one of the last to board the aircraft, and found another passenger in my seat. To my surprise, we both had boarding cards for one and the same seat. My jaw dropped when this gentleman told me he had been downgraded when checking in! He had purchased an upgrade with FD points and was in possession of a confirmed upgrade voucher. The agent apparently told him that WBC was overbooked, and that he would be downgraded specifically because he had upgraded with points. His mood did not exactly improve when I told him that the last seat in WBC had just been given away for free!

johan

Is klm's upgradeable fare classes the same as nw's or different?
-howie

KLM allows upgrades from any fare except Airmiles tickets!

Checked the issue this morning: upgrading with points from a non-AMS departure seems more difficult (agent said they had stoppe doing it).

The best bet seems to be the AMS lounges or gates (see above).

As I'm back from my NYC trip I can report the following (a small trip report also...):

Arrived at STR full 2 hours before departure I found complete chaos at the checkin-counter. The security was set up without thought and so we had to wait in a very long line together with charter pax (to Greece). Their checkin was very slow and nobody waited at the KLM-counters. Finally arrived there and asked for a possible upgrade by FD-points as adivised by KLM helpdesk. The agent said that she's not possible to do that and sent me to the ticket-counter. The agent there was very friendly but said that upgrades by points could only be done at AMS and that she's expressly forbidden to handle this, even to call to AMS in advance to set me onto a waitlist. But she checked and found free seats in C - so there was hope at least...
Back again at checkin we got only 4 seats in 4 different rows for AMS-JFK as this flight would be full and she couldn't change arrangements therefore.
Arrived at AMS I found the Transfer-desks at D and E with long lines and so directly proceeded to the international Business Lounge. Four agents there, one intensly flirting with a flight-captain (and a little bit more, sitting together on one office-chair...). Asked for an upgrade by points for the four of us, my agent said without checking her computer that she's afraid that there are only three seats left (I'm not really shure if this was true or just a trick that saved her some work...). But at least we got 4 seats together - she was surprised that STR could not give us four seats as the seat assignment had several possibilities for four seats together left...
For the return flight JFK-AMS she could not help us with upgrades as she could only do that for flights originating from AMS for the same day. Only possibility for this would have been FD helpdesk 14 days prior to departure (without availability in my case...).
On the return I asked at JFK NW checkin (with a very good organised security and checkin area at terminal 4) for the upgrade by points but the agent there confirmed what I heared at AMS.

The flights were uneventful; both AMS-JFK and JFK-AMS were 90% full in Y with some open seats in C on the flight to JFK (as I could spy through the curtain). Both were about 1 hour late. Service was standard with friendly (and this time really pretty... ;-) ) cabin crew. Wait time at the terminal/gate security check at AMS was about 20 Minutes (Terminal E) and only a few minutes at JFK (Terminal 4, part A).

So another procedure that KLM could put some thoughts into: Upgrade-procedures by points at the gate - not only at AMS. It should be much more efficient to upgrade pax willing to spend their points if there are open seats before doing operational upgrades or flying with empty seats, shouldn't it?

Does anybody have any experience if on last minute upgrades with FD points at lounge/gate the current 50% discount is also granted?

It should as the offer has no exceptions mentioned. But I have no evidence.

I have evidence.
I just came back from a short trip from NY (JFK).
I was able to upgrade at the lounge (AMS)with points. The lounge-employee told me about the 50% WBC Upgrade Discount.
At JFK it was not possible to upgrade. I hope KLM will improve that. But the service (from the KLM staff!!) was excellent, on ground and in the air.

[This message has been edited by Silver Wing (edited 02-14-2002).]

I was able to upgrade with points at check-in in CPT all four of us travelling back to AMS at the end of December (a whole 100 000 FD points - that hurts ). Standard mileage deducted but we were outside the promotion period, so nothing abnormal here.