I have asked for an upgrade on a Continetal flight from SFO to LGW.

I am particularly hopeful that the overwater segment - EWR to LGW will be upgraded as that is the important sector, and I am fairly sure that NW will upgarde me as an elite on the domestic sectors anyway.

Has anyone successfully been upgraded by FD on CO ?

No idea on CO.

For NW make sure that NW has your FD number in their system. Worth it to give them a call and give your details as adding your number to the KLM booking does not seem to get this passed to NW.

pmcg

From what the Fd told me, upgrade availability on intercontinental CO flights for KL is very limited. If you do a search, you will find that some have obtained upgrades but it is not very common.

I have asked this very same question on the website a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't received a response yet.

However, if possible, it'll probably have to be done by phone, I couldn't find any online option of using miles to upgrade on CO.

OK, I can give good information here.

In two words: Forget it.

While in theory CO BusinessFirst upgrades would be available with KL miles, I have tried for four different itineraries, involving 15 or so agents, and have come to the following conclusion:

CO doesn't really want to have Upgraders in their premium cabin. Maybe, if they paid A LOT OF MONEY for a high Y fare, and can be sure that BF will be more than half empty, they will consider it. This conclusion can be drawn by looking at the CO board, and is based on my own CO experience (was elite several years there).
This is why CO has constructed an intransparent procedure for the FD Helpdesk, which allows them to control (this means limit) the amount of upgrades they give to KL members. The procedure is that the FD agent has to send requests for upgrade seats to Continental. CO has a desk (I assume live people) that takes minimum 1 to 2 weeks to evaluate the request. This desk then sends a final answer back to CO.

On two upgrade requests that I put in, CO BF award availibility for CO members was there. The other two requests had over 9 seats in J and D all the way to departure date, but no award seats.

Not one of my requests cleared. They all were refuted between one week and 70 hours prior to departure. Even when I requested 6 weeks before departure time. Note that CO only allows (or has this changed recently?) CO members to waitlist between 30 days prior and 72 hours prior.

I even asked one of the agents wether any request he witnessed had ever cleared. He admitted that out of 50-100 requests he had so far only one request had been confirmed. I asked him for the fare class - he said he couldn't tell me - I asked if it was full Y - he said yes.

My final conclusion: The folks at the CO partner desk won't give us upgrades, and for sure not on low fares. MAYBE on the rare occasion that an almost entirely empty BF cabin is expected with certainty they will give folks on a K-fare (or equivalent) and up an upgrade. But, IMOP, they won't give any upgrades except you paid almost as much as you would have had to pay for BF anyway and aren't expecting a full cabin.

KL FD staff can't do anything. They have one supervisor who is allowed to directly correspond with CO. And this person also views CO reply's as final. FD helpdesk people are poor folks because their management gives them so limited, stupid and bureaucratic procedures that their job mission of good customer service becomes really hard to fulfill.

Stick with KL metal and you'll be happy. Stick with KL and NW metal and you'll be mostly happy.

NickB, can you post the link to those threads of successful people? Rewards are possible but rare, but upgrades are impossible IMOP. But I would be keen to learn otherwise.

Tomorrow is the 14th day since I made my request. It will be very interesting to me to see what they say.

I have made several follow up enquiries, and been told that they were still awaiting an answer.

Well, I did the search and you are right, and right again. I kept a memory of a thread on CO upgrade where someone said that they had secured upg on DUB-EWR. Looking at thread again, it might have been straightforward biz awards rather than upgrades (see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...L/001113.html)

My own experience certainly tallies with what you say. I grew especially suspicious when the FD agent taking the details of the request asked for the booking class. Sounded like we were HoKey'd, even though the FD rules should theretically apply and, therefore, no HoKeY.

Tried numerous times very frustrating process - NO success seems to be a scam.
CO never will give out BF to partner airlines!

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Viele Gr��e

Oliver

Agent Sebastian at FD advises that CO have agreed an upgrade.

Continental reservations show no upgrade !!

KLM have again confirmed the upgrade, and Continental again denied it !

Mmmm - am mega confused !

I know that the two airlines use two different reservations systems but surely it should be the other way around? Confirmed in CO's system and the booking still pending in KL's???

Give the Elite desk a call, they have always come up trumps for me so far and good luck, I heard somebody talking in the lounge the other week about being denied an upgrade on CO by the check in desk even when he was holding the upgrade voucher from KLM!

Continental have now confirmed the booking, and I now have seat assignement.

1B on CO from EWR to LGW