I've read in a UK magazine that American Express Gold Card members who are members of the International Airline Programme can secure upgrades to business when paying full-fare economy, but when I asked American Express in the US about this program, they said it only allows companion fares. But just now I saw a reference to the possibility of upgrades through the International Airline Program in the Inside Flyer article about upgrades. Does anyone have any idea if this program exists, or how it works? Is it not available to US cardmembers?

I have a Platinum AMEX card, and they have a program that if you buy a full fare First Class (or Business Class I think) ticket on certain airlines to certain international destinations, they will give you a *FREE* companion ticket in the same class of service. I believe this program has the name that you mentioned.

According to a recent article that appeared in the June 1998 Business Traveller, this is one of the simpler ways to secure an upgrade. The existing scheme provides confirmed upgrades and /or companion tickets for Amex Gold and Platinum cardholders booking full-fare tickets with selected airlines. It can save you thousands of pounds per trip and although it ends in August, it will be extended with modifications into 1999.
Deals include:
-Continental, Qantas and South African Airways which have business class companion fares (the Qantas deal covers flights from Frankfurt or Rome, but not London)
-Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Malaysian and United, which provide upgrades from business to first class
-Canadian, Continental and Emirates, which will upgrade from economy to business class

I hope that this helps!

Yes, the Business Traveller article is where I first read about this upgrade deal, but as I said it seems to be confined to UK Amex holders; so the question is, does American Express have one International Airline Program for Americans (offering only companion fares), and one for Brits (offering both companion fares and upgrades)? That doesn't make sense!! Has anyone out there used this scheme to obtain an upgrade?

The airlines involved in American Express' International Airline Programme are American, United, Continental, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qantas and South African. Cardmembers have been targeted for IAP are UK, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands and Sweden. South African Cardmembers were never targeted as part of the programme.

It seems that there are completely different programs. I'm a US platinum AMEX, and UA is definitely not one of the airlines, and I've never seen upgrades, only buy 1 get 1 free.

even without Amexco-Card I can get on most airlines (including American and United) for full first-fare or full-business-fare one partner free (f.e. from Kuoni, but some times also from UA directly). But Full fare means in some cases (in business) more or less the same as special-fare for two (and with the special fares the partnergets miles ...).