TAP "offers" upgrades via online auctions
 

TP is innovating in the additional revenue stream by proposing to Eco pax's a bid for an upgrade.

Press release here
- It's only valid for pax booked on tap|plus or tap|classic (typically Y;B;M;H;Q fare codes)

My questions on this at this time:
- If not booked via flytap.com but somewhere else does the offer still stand?
- If upgraded will the miles earned be Eco or Biz?

By comparion a member of TP Victoria can do this upgrade with 5'000 miles.

It's somewhat in the direction of Swiss Business upgrades in Europe, but with booking restrictions (not all fares are valid as with LX; and it's not a fixed amount like LX)

GBM

We think it's a very exciting program and great way to get upgraded (full disclosure: we're biased!)

Plusgrade is only available to customers who book their airline tickets via www.flytap.com.

If you're flying on a valid fare/route, you'll be presented with the upgrade opportunity both on the booking confirmation page, as well as in your e-ticket email.

The fare conditions for the original ticket purchased by the customer shall remain in effect and will be applicable even if the Offer has been accepted and they have been upgraded, including, but not limited to, cancellation policies, change fees, or frequent flyer miles to be applied.

Of course, you will receive many of the perks associated with flying tap|executive (lounge access, priority check-in, priority security, priority baggage, etc).

More information on the Plusgrade program can be found at: http://www.flytap.com/Portugal/en/Fl...ons/Plusgrade/.

Hope that was helpful!

Cheers.
Ken | Plusgrade team

Good to have insiders around! Welcome. Couldn't help noticing 1year and half to make a post was quite an advanced planning given the handle.

My opinion is that you're alienating all the customer base that books via travel agents (online or other). I understand that one of the intentions is increase bookings at TP website but do you have the current stats for TP.com bookings vs elsewhere?
Swiss was pretty smart about it since you can do the upgrade on their website using the e-ticket number/Ref. Can you reconsider or is IT the limitation?


Here is where IMHO TP fails to offer something interesting.
- No miles for Biz (This is FT, it's all about those extra miles, you won't get much traction here without them). It's cent wise and € foolish. How much do those 100% more miles cost to TP to give Victoria (a couple of euros?)
- Typically Classic and Plus customers are business travellers and therefore frequent travellers. They already get all those perks on the ground.
- Non frequent travellers booked into Classic and Plus are already paying a perceived high fare. They will just be asking if it's worth paying even more for something which is stretching their budget already


Therefore to make it attractive to all:
- BiZ miles
- Any fare to be upgraded.

But thanks for the insight!

GBM

I agree. The programme as outlined is complicated and ever-so slightly bonkers. I have to buy a (relatively) expensive Y-ticket in the hope that my offer of still more money will be sufficient to get some extra comfort and a meal on the aircraft. But no extra miles? And I'm restricted to buying my ticket from TAP :) ?


The obscured message is "buy a |Classic or |Plus ticket and we'll put you in the business cabin (subject to space available)". The auction nonsense is the mechanism to limit access to match availability.

Clearly TAP marketeers don't want to dilute the revenue from the very few who are prepared to pay full-C on intra-European flights, but they are doing it in a particularly heavy-handed way.

You'd have thought they'd have learned a lesson from their colleagues at Swiss, where the upgrade programme is much more transparent.

Anyone happen to have recent experience with this? Flying LIS-JFK in July on one of the new A330s. Bidding starts at EUR 285 and goes up to EUR 1,400. Clearly going to go on the low end since it's for leisure and the flight isn't that long. That said, wondering if they'll fill all the seats (e.g., if there are 10 empty and my offer is the best do they move me up or will they just not fill the seats if the offer isn't sufficiently high?) Any recent experience would be most appreciated.

Experience?
 

Also looking for anyone having experience with this upgrade.

Looking at Expertflyer there are a vast amount of empty seats in C on both flights I have asked for an upgrade. Flying in a month or so.

Specifically it would be interesting to know whether they fill all empty C seats to cash in on all upgrade requests, or if they nay certain pay levels despite having empty business seats.

Did you try to see what price they're offering for upgrades? I have experience with two intra-EU and two EU-Africa segments recently and for both the price seemed excessive given that it was only an A320 with a blocked middle.

When are you flying? We're on LIS-JFK on 5 July and will report back. Currently have a pending bid on the upgrade.

I bid 250 EUR (the minimum) for each intercontinental leg Portugal-Brazil.

I upped the ante a bit, now a 305 EUR bid to separate myself from the pack.

Update: upgrade success! Just received confirmation.

Awesome! How far before the flight did it clear? Flying 7/5 and only two occupied in J. Fingers crossed.

Approx 60 hours ahead of departure. You'll notice the $ being withdrawn from your credit card first. About 12 hours later I got the email notification.

Cool! I put in a lowest bid ($280 Euros) for my BOS-LIS trip in August. I may take your advice an raise it just a bit to escape all the other low-ball bids, especially for the overnight outgoing flight.

I also received points for Z class travel, e.g. alot more points than what I originally booked.

I don't remember the Plusgrade details regarding points, but somewhere in my mind I seem to remember one was supposed to only receive the original class points? Note: I am on SAS Eurobonus, so maybe the points transfer system between airlines does not understand Plusgrade tickets.

In any event, more for me!