spec119

Apologies if this has been answered before but every time I have applied for an upgrade with Qmiles I always get the standard no availability email a day later

Is there a way of checking availability before submitting I'm sure I've read some members mention this
I do seem to get the upgrade authorised eventually if I keep emailing pc but obviously not guaranteed thanks in advance

remdk

spec119 if you have a PC membership number then you can use the 'Book a flight' facility of QRs website. First make sure that you are NOT logged in to PC. There is a software error that does not show the 'miles' button later. Select your origin, destination and dates and on the next page to the far right near the top of the screen there is a slider button 'Book using Qmiles'. switch this on and then you are asked to login to PC. When the next page appears it shows availability and a price in Qmiles for the week at the top and which flights are bookable for your chosen travel day.

F.Y.I. There are over 100 threads with the words 'Award seats' within them on this forum!

spec119

Thanks very much for your help to be honest I'm sure I have read this procedure before unfortunately I'm limited to a phablet whilst in Thailand

spec119

Ok maybe I need to explain in more detail I already have a paid Y ticket which I'm trying to upgrade to business the method you describe seems to be for booking award flights rather than redemption upgrades apologies if I'm being stupid lol

David_DLI

The only stupid question is the one not asked! So don't worry, and let us help you navigate through this.

What remdk described is a way to see for which flights there's award availability open. If for a given flight you can book it as an award, you should be able to upgrade an already existing booking. Once you see there's availability you have to request the upgrade as you've always done.

Johnnieboy

I think what remdk might have been suggesting is that if you can see award seats available in J for the flight, then there's a good chance that you might be able to get an upgrade using qmiles or qcredits. You could then either email or call QR to try and arrange it, or upgrade at the airport.

EDIT - David_DLI beat me to it!

flyingbubbles

Sometimes it can be a real exercise in patience and persistence when you already have a paid Y ticket. If there's no freely available award upgrade, there is no harm in calling QR Priority Services in Doha (Doha is my personal preference, although I've also had pretty good service from the US Priority Service line). At the very least they can put you on a waitlist. Of course, the downside is that it's not a guaranteed upgrade until the waitlist clears ... and that may only occur 2-4 weeks before travel! If you're lucky, it'll clear earlier than that. My guess is that it clears when QR thinks they don't have a good chance of selling the remaining J seats for $$.

I generally call in for an update every few days after they put me on waitlist, but I have noticed that you'll see changes on the MyFlights app if the waitlist clears - you'll still have to call in to confirm the deduction of miles/credits though.

spec119

Thanks for all the excellent information guys all makes perfect sense

arav_m

I do not have qmiles/privilege club membership but I bought a ticket yesterday. Do I have an option to upgrade (Q class) a segment by paying rather than using qmiles? Thanks...

purple1addict

Yes, if you bought direct from QR then there should be an upgrade option in Manage Booking (or you can call QR for a price). If you bought from a travel agent then either ask your TA for a price or keep your fingers crossed for an email upgrade offer approx one week before your flight.

spec119

If you click on the change travel date you can effectively upgrade your cabin then select show only premium it would seem they waive the change fee if you upgrade to a higher class

I have several booking that have produced a glitch when you select a one-way change I think because my y booking have mixed class of Q & V

spec119

Sorry to say I tried this theory my inbound flight was showing availability for both sectors and I still got the usual rejection email

Matt4

An important information is that award availability must be at normal rate, not x2 rate.
Also if you try to upgrade AAA-DOH sector only or DOH-BBB sector only on a AAA-DOH-BBB trip, they might have married segments conflicts which could result they can't upgrade you (I guess in that case it depends of the capability and the willingness of the agent).
The best way to get an upgrade is when you have the upgrade button on he Manage My Booking page, as it will tell you if there's upgrade space or not and can even offers tu put you on a waiting listing. But I don't know why it appears rarely on my bookings (one more glitch in QR IT ?). Otherwise, call QR directly, as email answering agents seem to be the less interested in doing anything to help customers.

arav_m

Thanks for the replies. I am actually flying on 28th October and I just received an upgrade offer to business class for $1030 that is valid until 21st, which is a week before departure. If I do not take it, do they send a better offer (assuming seats are remaining) or this is it? Thanks again...

Matt4

I never received a second offer.
Usually these offers are poor value for money and only valid for 1 segment (AAA-DOH or DOH-BBB) You might have a better value for your money paying the difference in fare for your whole journey AAA-DOH-BBB or using your Qmiles or Qcredits: call them and if they say there's no upgrade availability with Qmiles/Qcredits, ask them to put you on the waiting list.