op ups - who's chosen first
Apr 6, 2008, 5:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: TK *G, BA Gold
Posts: 592
op ups - who's chosen first
I was lucky enough to get an upgrade from economy -> business on MUC-GRU, they upgraded about six of us and I was asking the gate agent how they (or the system) chooses who to upgrade. She said it's based on M&M status but then I said what about those with the same status and she said it's then based on points - ie your points balance.
Can anyone confirm this ? it's a good reason not to redeem too many awards and let my point balance build up if it is.
Richard
Can anyone confirm this ? it's a good reason not to redeem too many awards and let my point balance build up if it is.
Richard
Apr 6, 2008, 5:40 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: A Sight For Roll Eyes
Programs: :enrolleyes:+, :drôleyes:
Posts: 5,461
Apr 6, 2008, 5:50 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Seat 2A
Programs: AA EXP LT GLD 1MM, BA GLD, NH/UA*G, Hyatt Dia, Marr Tit LT PLT, IHG Spire,HH Dia, MGM NOIR,Hertz PC
Posts: 10,571
The Upgrade priority list of LH's check-in system goes:
HON
SEN
FTL
M&M
No *A status !
For the competition within status, I have no idea but obviously there must be an indicator.
HON
SEN
FTL
M&M
No *A status !
For the competition within status, I have no idea but obviously there must be an indicator.
Apr 6, 2008, 6:08 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Point Place, Wisconsin
Programs: LH HON, BA Gold, EK Gold
Posts: 14,505
LH can tell how many miles you have flown with them (not redeemded) but I doubt this has any relevance to the op-up procedure.
I would support the statement of: HON, SEN, FTL ... scum of the earth ( like other *Gs
)
I would support the statement of: HON, SEN, FTL ... scum of the earth ( like other *Gs
)
Apr 6, 2008, 6:26 pm
#6
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,198
Like with any airline there are procedures on how to handle oversold situations. The actual practice varies widely. 
Apr 6, 2008, 11:41 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SZG, Austria
Programs: LH(OS) HON, IC RA
Posts: 33,194
I was lucky enough to get an upgrade from economy -> business on MUC-GRU, they upgraded about six of us and I was asking the gate agent how they (or the system) chooses who to upgrade. She said it's based on M&M status but then I said what about those with the same status and she said it's then based on points - ie your points balance.
Can anyone confirm this ? it's a good reason not to redeem too many awards and let my point balance build up if it is.
Richard
Can anyone confirm this ? it's a good reason not to redeem too many awards and let my point balance build up if it is.
Richard
Apr 6, 2008, 11:59 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Seat 2A
Programs: AA EXP LT GLD 1MM, BA GLD, NH/UA*G, Hyatt Dia, Marr Tit LT PLT, IHG Spire,HH Dia, MGM NOIR,Hertz PC
Posts: 10,571
Apr 7, 2008, 4:26 am
#9
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: From and of Boston.
Posts: 4,973
Listen to oliver2002 "there are procedures on how to handle oversold situations. The actual practice varies widely"-- he is exactly right.
If an agent has the time, knowledge, and interest in following procedures, op ups are done by status and, within status groups, by fare class. But getting the flight out on time will trump those procedures.
My manager has no LH status and was on the BOS-FRA flight on the day before the US Thanksgiving holiday in November. She was flying with her family on a low booking class economy fare, was among the last passengers to check in, and the check-in was hectic as the flight was apparently oversold. The agent gave her a BP for 11B, and the rest of her family got economy. (She was a bit disappointed on her return when I told her that she'd only been upgraded to business, not first.)
If an agent has the time, knowledge, and interest in following procedures, op ups are done by status and, within status groups, by fare class. But getting the flight out on time will trump those procedures.
My manager has no LH status and was on the BOS-FRA flight on the day before the US Thanksgiving holiday in November. She was flying with her family on a low booking class economy fare, was among the last passengers to check in, and the check-in was hectic as the flight was apparently oversold. The agent gave her a BP for 11B, and the rest of her family got economy. (She was a bit disappointed on her return when I told her that she'd only been upgraded to business, not first.)
Apr 7, 2008, 5:07 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Kiel, Germany (HAM)
Programs: LH FTL, DL Silver, Amex Plat, Priority Pass
Posts: 67
I watched a LH GA selecting and upgrading people in FRA. The GA specifically entered '*G' into one computer at the gate and then printed new boarding passes on the second one attached to the printer.
The output of the '*G' search contained the status with some comments, the name and the booking class but no mileage.
The output of the '*G' search contained the status with some comments, the name and the booking class but no mileage.
Apr 7, 2008, 5:20 am
#11
Moderator: Asiana & Qantas Frequent Flyer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: STR/SYD/SMF
Programs: QF Lifetime SG, LH HON, OZ Lifetime Diamond +, HH Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 14,375
I know for sure that being DownUnderFlyer is not one of the deciding factors. Zero op-ups for me on LH so far in many years of flying.*
* I know what some will say now. It is a deciding factor and puts me to the bottom of the list.
* I know what some will say now. It is a deciding factor and puts me to the bottom of the list.
Apr 7, 2008, 6:01 am
#12
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Eurozone
Programs: LH SEN, HH Gold
Posts: 3,002
As oliver2002 says, actual practice varies widely. A friend who is *G (USAir) was upgraded transatlantic, even though SENs were passed over on the same flight. We can try to make rhyme-or-reason out of it all, but someone's experience will throw the pattern out the window.
Apr 7, 2008, 6:30 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Seat 2A
Programs: AA EXP LT GLD 1MM, BA GLD, NH/UA*G, Hyatt Dia, Marr Tit LT PLT, IHG Spire,HH Dia, MGM NOIR,Hertz PC
Posts: 10,571
I watched a LH GA selecting and upgrading people in FRA. The GA specifically entered '*G' into one computer at the gate and then printed new boarding passes on the second one attached to the printer.
The output of the '*G' search contained the status with some comments, the name and the booking class but no mileage.
The output of the '*G' search contained the status with some comments, the name and the booking class but no mileage.
You can pull up *G manually of you want, however thats against LH's upgrade policy ! If the GA is in a hurry of course the regular procedure doesnt mean much. Getting a flight out on time is and should always be priority #1.
Apr 7, 2008, 6:33 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Home sweet home
Programs: AA, LH FTL, BA, US, DL, UA, AF, Hilton, Priority Pass, Priority Club
Posts: 298
Based on my experience working for LH, my station has always followed the following procedure.
HON, SEN, *G, FTL, everybody else.
Typically when we´re overbooked we´ll upgrade our HONs and our SENs. By then we´re usually done with op-upping (we sometimes have as many as 30 SENs per flight and I once saw a flight with 50 (and our SEN lounge isn´t that big...)), because we´re only trying to balance out the load. So to all you *Gs, FTLs and everybody else who I have had to deny an upgrade to, I swear, it´s not personal! As for people with the same status, that´s above my pay grade.
HON, SEN, *G, FTL, everybody else.
Typically when we´re overbooked we´ll upgrade our HONs and our SENs. By then we´re usually done with op-upping (we sometimes have as many as 30 SENs per flight and I once saw a flight with 50 (and our SEN lounge isn´t that big...)), because we´re only trying to balance out the load. So to all you *Gs, FTLs and everybody else who I have had to deny an upgrade to, I swear, it´s not personal! As for people with the same status, that´s above my pay grade.