Upgrading to TPE?
 

Just a few relatively quick questions - I've never flown NW Transpac, so please bear with me. Thanks!

1) I was thinking about going to TPE & I found an M-Fare I can live with. Is it upgradeable?

I ask because of this at NW.com:

Upgrade options are valid on most published fare types (and on many Northwest Airlines WorldVacations unpublished fare types) except for the following: frequent flyer program free/discounted award travel, VUSA passes, Visit USA fare, Round-The-World, Circle-The-Pacific, infant/child, Asian origin spouse fare, companion fares, Asian consolidator ID tickets, Denied Boarding Compensation, free, no value, agency/industry discount tickets, chart flight tickets, senior discount tickets, student fares, Fly Later-Fly Free vouchers, CATY International, most unpublished fares, consolidator tickets issued on 01298 ticket stock, any certificates, coupon, Bonus Miles or promotional offer/ticket, trans-Atlantic fares beginning with S/K/V/Q/H//M and U.S. point of sale trans-Pacific fares beginning with H/K/V/Q and H/K/V/Q/M for flights between the U.S. and Hong Kong/China. Northwest will determine the eligibility of new fare types as they become available.

So - pardon my ignorance when it comes to geography & history - but isn't TPE considered to be part of China (they separate Hong Kong on the website) - I think its a territory or something to that extent, but I don't know if an M-class is upgradeable.

Of course, I could be a complete dumbass & be completely off base. Which if that's the case, I'd appreciate it if someone could advise me. :D

2) So for this trip, I was thinking about doing flying through HNL (staying less than 24 hours, of course) both ways. Would the 25K one-way upgrade (if upgradeable) upgrade me from DCA-MSP-HNL-NRT-TPE?

3) Currently, for my return, I've got it scheduled to have more than 24 hrs in HNL, so I'm assuming that 25K would not cover it - However, if I drop it down to less than 24 hrs, it prices out to an Q-fare (which is non-upgradeable).

Will NW price out an M-fare one direction & a Q-fare for the the other?

4) How bad of a flight would it be in Y?

Here are my thoughts:

1) For definition from NW, Taiwan is not part of China. So M class is upgradable from US to TPE. At this point, Chinese government has not filed a protest :D :D

2) 25,000 miles will upgrade you all the way to TPE. If available, you will be in FC from mainland to Hawaii, then business class to TPE, if your layover is less than 24 hours in HNL.

3) On the return, if the layover is more than 24 hours, you probably still get upgraded using 25,000 miles. My understanding is that one way includes layovers (someone corrects me if I am wrong).

4) It is possible to get Q one direction and M fares other direction, but that happens rarely.

Good luck.

A warning: WBC upgrades to Asia are VERY VERY difficult to obtain, especially you are on M fare. If you bought a B fare ticket, then it will be a little easier.

I booked a flight to ICN yesterday with a stopover in NRT on the return, and they seemed to indicate that the one-way upgrade would cover me from the furthest point all the way back.