Mar 25, 2013, 7:54 am
Last edit by: oliver2002
Optiontown - Upgrade on SK flights
SAS Scandinavian Airlines offers, via partner Optiontown, all customers the opportunity to purchase an upgrade on SK operated flights, which will be confirmed 72-24 hours prior to departure, pending on seat availability.
SAS Go passengers can purchase an upgrade to SAS Plus on all flights and to SAS Business class on SAS’s intercontinental flights between Scandinavia, the US and Asia, while SAS Plus passengers also can buy an upgrade to SAS Business class on intercontinental flights.
Booking class Europe: A (SAS Plus)
Booking classes Intercontinental: Z (Business) and P (SAS Plus)
Note: All upgrades will be handled by Optiontown.
Contact to Optiontown
Phone: UK +44 (0) 203 371 7854
E-mail: [email protected]
Homepage: www.optiontown.com
Upgrade fees
Intercontinental flights:
Upgrade fees will range between EUR140 and EUR900, depending on availability, destination and service class.
European flights:
Upgrade fees will range between EUR30 and EUR75, depending on availability, destination and service class.
Sign up fee Optiontown
EUR 1 (one) for short haul flights
EUR 5 (five) for long haul flights.
Sign up fee is not refundable.
Note: During the period 10JUN15-31AUG15, no sign up fee will be charged.
Reservation
All upgraded PNRs will be updated with and include OS SK OPTIONTOWN UPGRADE.
Reservation for non 117-documents (only applicable on long haul flights)
Reservations for non 117-documents will be updated by Optiontown with the following information:
OS SK UTO
SR CKIN SK KK. ATTN CHECK-IN. UTO PSGR. PLS UPGRADE TO (CLASS) ACC TO PROC ON SKXXX (DATE), UPG ALREADY PAID BRGDS REV MNGT.
Note: Tickets will not be reissued and upgrade will take place at check-in counter.
Rebooking
If the passenger wants to rebook a flight with confirmed upgrade via Optiontown, always use the original ticket fare, found in TWD, to calculate the fare difference.
Change fee must be collected if applicable for the original ticket.
Refund
After requesting upgrade it is not possible to change or cancel the upgrade request.
Upgrade amount is not refundable.
If the passengers upgrade request is not successful, the upgrade fee will be refunded.
Optiontown must be contacted for refund.
Restrictions
Upgrade of the following passengers cannot be performed:
Travel Pass passengers
Groups (booking class G)
Passengers holding award tickets (booking classes I and X)
ID-passengers (booking classes R and N)
Irregularity
Rebooking procedures for passengers with an upgrade, affected by irregularity:
Rebooking to other SK-flight
If the same booking class as passenger was upgraded to is available - rebook the passenger in the upgraded booking class.
If the same booking class as passenger was upgraded to is not available - rebook the passenger in the same service class as originally booked and refund the upgrade.
Rebooking to other airline
Rebook the passenger in the same service class as originally booked and refund the upgrade.
Note: In case of refund in above cases, the passenger himself must contact Optiontown and request refund.
Benefits
The upgraded passenger is entitled to:
Baggage allowance according to the new class
Star Alliance Priority tag
SAS Business check-in
Fast Track security
SAS Lounge access
EuroBonus points earned according to the new class
Onboard service according to the new class
Passenger process
Passenger makes a reservation on an SAS operated flight. Reservation must be confirmed.
Passenger logs onto www.optiontown.com, creates an account and enters credit card info.
Passenger can register the upgrade request immediately after reservation is made
Sign-up must be made latest 36 hours before departure
Optiontown selects the passengers to be upgraded according to conditions set forth by SAS
If there are seats available and the upgrade request is successful, the upgrade will be confirmed 72-24 hours prior to departure.
Updated 03JUL15 08.57
SAS Scandinavian Airlines offers, via partner Optiontown, all customers the opportunity to purchase an upgrade on SK operated flights, which will be confirmed 72-24 hours prior to departure, pending on seat availability.
SAS Go passengers can purchase an upgrade to SAS Plus on all flights and to SAS Business class on SAS’s intercontinental flights between Scandinavia, the US and Asia, while SAS Plus passengers also can buy an upgrade to SAS Business class on intercontinental flights.
Booking class Europe: A (SAS Plus)
Booking classes Intercontinental: Z (Business) and P (SAS Plus)
Note: All upgrades will be handled by Optiontown.
Contact to Optiontown
Phone: UK +44 (0) 203 371 7854
E-mail: [email protected]
Homepage: www.optiontown.com
Upgrade fees
Intercontinental flights:
Upgrade fees will range between EUR140 and EUR900, depending on availability, destination and service class.
European flights:
Upgrade fees will range between EUR30 and EUR75, depending on availability, destination and service class.
Sign up fee Optiontown
EUR 1 (one) for short haul flights
EUR 5 (five) for long haul flights.
Sign up fee is not refundable.
Note: During the period 10JUN15-31AUG15, no sign up fee will be charged.
Reservation
All upgraded PNRs will be updated with and include OS SK OPTIONTOWN UPGRADE.
Reservation for non 117-documents (only applicable on long haul flights)
Reservations for non 117-documents will be updated by Optiontown with the following information:
OS SK UTO
SR CKIN SK KK. ATTN CHECK-IN. UTO PSGR. PLS UPGRADE TO (CLASS) ACC TO PROC ON SKXXX (DATE), UPG ALREADY PAID BRGDS REV MNGT.
Note: Tickets will not be reissued and upgrade will take place at check-in counter.
Rebooking
If the passenger wants to rebook a flight with confirmed upgrade via Optiontown, always use the original ticket fare, found in TWD, to calculate the fare difference.
Change fee must be collected if applicable for the original ticket.
Refund
After requesting upgrade it is not possible to change or cancel the upgrade request.
Upgrade amount is not refundable.
If the passengers upgrade request is not successful, the upgrade fee will be refunded.
Optiontown must be contacted for refund.
Restrictions
Upgrade of the following passengers cannot be performed:
Travel Pass passengers
Groups (booking class G)
Passengers holding award tickets (booking classes I and X)
ID-passengers (booking classes R and N)
Irregularity
Rebooking procedures for passengers with an upgrade, affected by irregularity:
Rebooking to other SK-flight
If the same booking class as passenger was upgraded to is available - rebook the passenger in the upgraded booking class.
If the same booking class as passenger was upgraded to is not available - rebook the passenger in the same service class as originally booked and refund the upgrade.
Rebooking to other airline
Rebook the passenger in the same service class as originally booked and refund the upgrade.
Note: In case of refund in above cases, the passenger himself must contact Optiontown and request refund.
Benefits
The upgraded passenger is entitled to:
Baggage allowance according to the new class
Star Alliance Priority tag
SAS Business check-in
Fast Track security
SAS Lounge access
EuroBonus points earned according to the new class
Onboard service according to the new class
Passenger process
Passenger makes a reservation on an SAS operated flight. Reservation must be confirmed.
Passenger logs onto www.optiontown.com, creates an account and enters credit card info.
Passenger can register the upgrade request immediately after reservation is made
Sign-up must be made latest 36 hours before departure
Optiontown selects the passengers to be upgraded according to conditions set forth by SAS
If there are seats available and the upgrade request is successful, the upgrade will be confirmed 72-24 hours prior to departure.
Updated 03JUL15 08.57
Optiontown.com paid upgrades on SAS
Dec 26, 2011, 4:10 am
#721
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,774
Finally the gate agents handed me a boarding pass with a Y seat (middle seat, last row of Y).
...
When I fly on UA, they often offer paid upgrades at (online) check-in. ...
What does OT offer that's better than this? I can see one aspect, which is knowing a few days in advance the demand for paid upgrades, and another aspect may be to maximize revenue by better capturing willingness to pay... but I also wonder if these benefits are strong enough to make it worth outsourcing this process to OT.
...
When I fly on UA, they often offer paid upgrades at (online) check-in. ...
What does OT offer that's better than this? I can see one aspect, which is knowing a few days in advance the demand for paid upgrades, and another aspect may be to maximize revenue by better capturing willingness to pay... but I also wonder if these benefits are strong enough to make it worth outsourcing this process to OT.
Referring to the second part of your post that I quoted, I also wonder why SK bothers with OT when they could easily sell upgrades themselves and maximize revenue without a third party being involved. Upgrades could be offered during OLCI and then, if still needed, at airport check-in.
It used to be possible to buy upgrades on SK TATL flights ex-USA at check-in. I don't know if they still do this. It would seem more efficient for SK to build this into their own business model rather than use OT.
Susan
Dec 26, 2011, 9:41 pm
#722
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DCA
Programs: TK*G OZ*G AA Plat
Posts: 627
I know someone has to sit in the middle seats, but I would have been disappointed to pay for an upgrade for which I couldn't select a seat in advance of the last few minutes of boarding. May I ask what the price of your upgrade was and whether you felt it was worth it, given the scenario?
Referring to the second part of your post that I quoted, I also wonder why SK bothers with OT when they could easily sell upgrades themselves and maximize revenue without a third party being involved. Upgrades could be offered during OLCI and then, if still needed, at airport check-in.
Referring to the second part of your post that I quoted, I also wonder why SK bothers with OT when they could easily sell upgrades themselves and maximize revenue without a third party being involved. Upgrades could be offered during OLCI and then, if still needed, at airport check-in.
Like you, I'm wondering more and more about how OT will survive long-term. In the next two months, I have domestic (USA) flights on US and UA, and TATL on KL. I checked and all those carriers offer paid upgrades at the time of check-in, at varying prices. It seems to me that they're much more likely to sell upgrades this way since it's part of a process all travelers must go through, as opposed to OT where only a few know about it and you need to plan ahead and register on a separate site.
It kind of makes me wonder why SK uses it then. It is just that their IT department can't innovate and offer the same paid upgrade options at check-in that other carriers now offer? That seems plausible to me.
Dec 27, 2011, 8:53 pm
#723
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Europe
Posts: 1,503
I know someone has to sit in the middle seats, but I would have been disappointed to pay for an upgrade for which I couldn't select a seat in advance of the last few minutes of boarding. May I ask what the price of your upgrade was and whether you felt it was worth it, given the scenario?
Referring to the second part of your post that I quoted, I also wonder why SK bothers with OT when they could easily sell upgrades themselves and maximize revenue without a third party being involved. Upgrades could be offered during OLCI and then, if still needed, at airport check-in.
It used to be possible to buy upgrades on SK TATL flights ex-USA at check-in. I don't know if they still do this. It would seem more efficient for SK to build this into their own business model rather than use OT.
Susan
Referring to the second part of your post that I quoted, I also wonder why SK bothers with OT when they could easily sell upgrades themselves and maximize revenue without a third party being involved. Upgrades could be offered during OLCI and then, if still needed, at airport check-in.
It used to be possible to buy upgrades on SK TATL flights ex-USA at check-in. I don't know if they still do this. It would seem more efficient for SK to build this into their own business model rather than use OT.
Susan
Dec 30, 2011, 12:11 am
#724
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Copenhagen
Programs: Eurobonus
Posts: 211
I've heard rumours that SAS has started offering passengers to buy upgrades for cash on overseas routes from Scandinavia on day of travel. Anyone know more about this ?
Dec 30, 2011, 1:27 am
#725
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Stockholm
Programs: SK-EBD*G, AF Ivory, Hertz Pres Circle, SPG, Carlson Concierge, Hilton Gold, Accor Platinum
Posts: 222
During past summer they had such a campaign our of ARN to both EWR and ORD. Don't remember pricelevels though...Capaign was marketed with posters in check-in area.
Dec 30, 2011, 8:49 am
#726
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: KRS
Programs: EBG
Posts: 215
The biggest reason that I use Optiontown is for the EB points that I can accrue more easily. That is a huge perk - especially because it is basic points that earn towards status. When SAS used to sell upgrades at the airport on the day of travel I used that a couple of times, but the only thing that changes with that type of upgrade is your seat. You get no extra baggage allowance, lounge access, or points. Plus, it wasn't cheap either.
I used UTO a couple of weeks ago and got M to C upgrade. Seat was assigned at counter check-in at EWR, but got credited for M points. I have used Uto numerous times, and it has worked flawlessly each time. This time I got the upgrade about 28 hours prior to departure, but never received the updated eticket I usually receive from SK Denmark. I have contacted Uto and they have emailed SAS. Still waiting for the points though.....
Has anyone had this same experience? Any tips?
I used UTO a couple of weeks ago and got M to C upgrade. Seat was assigned at counter check-in at EWR, but got credited for M points. I have used Uto numerous times, and it has worked flawlessly each time. This time I got the upgrade about 28 hours prior to departure, but never received the updated eticket I usually receive from SK Denmark. I have contacted Uto and they have emailed SAS. Still waiting for the points though.....
Has anyone had this same experience? Any tips?
Dec 30, 2011, 10:52 am
#727
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DCA
Programs: TK*G OZ*G AA Plat
Posts: 627
This time I got the upgrade about 28 hours prior to departure, but never received the updated eticket I usually receive from SK Denmark. I have contacted Uto and they have emailed SAS. Still waiting for the points though.....
Has anyone had this same experience? Any tips?
Has anyone had this same experience? Any tips?
Dec 31, 2011, 3:46 am
#728
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: EBG, Scandic Top Floor, Choice Club Gold, HHonors Silver
Posts: 29
Upgrade M to C for my the CPH-IAD leg of my 21-hour GOT-CPH-IAD-LAX journey on January 2nd cleared today, about 48 hours before departure.
No e-mail yet from Optiontown but - more important - a confirmation from SK with a new e-ticket. Was booked in H originally but now in Z.
Logged in to sas.se to choose a new seat, felt good to choose 3A instead of 27H... :-)
A good start to a new travel year!
No e-mail yet from Optiontown but - more important - a confirmation from SK with a new e-ticket. Was booked in H originally but now in Z.
Logged in to sas.se to choose a new seat, felt good to choose 3A instead of 27H... :-)
A good start to a new travel year!
Dec 31, 2011, 8:57 am
#729
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ARN
Programs: EBD, HHDiamond
Posts: 52
OT still decide...
Just a quick follow up on my long post regarding that it seems to be OT that decide who to upgrade...
1) The return leg (from IAD to CPH) didn't clear eventhough there where only sold/occupied 5 out of 48 C-class seats!
2) I paid a higher price for the IAD->CPH than the CPH->IAD leg that DID clear
3) It looks like that M was oversold(IAD->CPH), since there where only 5 empty seats 30 hours before take off (I guess that many pax first choose their seat when online check-in opens 22 hours before take off)
4) By following the IAD->CPH seat map on Expertflyer it looks like that individual 2 M pax has been upgraded to Y.
Having said that, I still believe that the procedure is that SAS some days before departure offers OT an maxium of upgrade seats at a fixed price (e.g. 450 Euro), and then it's up to OT to decide who will get the seats. Then OT will not let my upgrade go through if I only paid 410 Euro)..
Regarding the long-term business "survive" of OT, I believe that their strongest card on the hand, is that all this upgrade opportunities is in a "arm-length" out-of-reach from SAS, meaning that any bad will, cannibalization on existing C-class booking levels, etc., probably are minimized when having a third-party company handling this instead of SAS handling it themselves.
From my own point of view, I would never buy any C-class ticket if SAS will offer - for purchase - availible seats at check-in, since I will be more likely to "gamble" with this, but when it's placed with OT I will (for business trips) purchase a C ticket and only take the OT lottery when it's a private trip...
1) The return leg (from IAD to CPH) didn't clear eventhough there where only sold/occupied 5 out of 48 C-class seats!
2) I paid a higher price for the IAD->CPH than the CPH->IAD leg that DID clear
3) It looks like that M was oversold(IAD->CPH), since there where only 5 empty seats 30 hours before take off (I guess that many pax first choose their seat when online check-in opens 22 hours before take off)
4) By following the IAD->CPH seat map on Expertflyer it looks like that individual 2 M pax has been upgraded to Y.
Having said that, I still believe that the procedure is that SAS some days before departure offers OT an maxium of upgrade seats at a fixed price (e.g. 450 Euro), and then it's up to OT to decide who will get the seats. Then OT will not let my upgrade go through if I only paid 410 Euro)..
Regarding the long-term business "survive" of OT, I believe that their strongest card on the hand, is that all this upgrade opportunities is in a "arm-length" out-of-reach from SAS, meaning that any bad will, cannibalization on existing C-class booking levels, etc., probably are minimized when having a third-party company handling this instead of SAS handling it themselves.
From my own point of view, I would never buy any C-class ticket if SAS will offer - for purchase - availible seats at check-in, since I will be more likely to "gamble" with this, but when it's placed with OT I will (for business trips) purchase a C ticket and only take the OT lottery when it's a private trip...
Jan 9, 2012, 4:50 am
#730
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Programs: EBG
Posts: 23
In BKK they offered paid upgrades to Y or C on SK972 to CPH on Jan 8. The upgrade price from M to C was THB 21,000, almost twice the price of the UTo I bought for the flight CPH to BKK (€291)
Jan 9, 2012, 10:24 am
#731
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: UME, Sweden
Programs: SK EBG,Delta Medallion/FB Gold, Choice Gold,M&M SEN,Hertz No.1 Gold,Club Carlson Elite Gold,
Posts: 158
Point/miles earning according to original ticket (i.e. not the upgraded class).
Jan 9, 2012, 1:50 pm
#732
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 87
Just wanted to say that my Wife amd I got upgraded in the end for our flight from copenhagen to tokyo. Having never flown business before it was a real pleasure and a great way to start the honeymoon. I know i have nothing to compare it too but i think it was the best flight I've taken and principally because of the staff. First time i've written a thank you note to a flight crew, that's how good it was for us.
Thanks SAS!
Thanks SAS!
Jan 9, 2012, 2:06 pm
#733
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: CPH
Programs: EBG, M&M SEN, FB Gold
Posts: 507
Just wanted to say that my Wife amd I got upgraded in the end for our flight from copenhagen to tokyo. Having never flown business before it was a real pleasure and a great way to start the honeymoon. I know i have nothing to compare it too but i think it was the best flight I've taken and principally because of the staff. First time i've written a thank you note to a flight crew, that's how good it was for us.
Thanks SAS!
Thanks SAS!
Enjoy the rest of the honeymoon.
/HerrO
Jan 12, 2012, 2:24 am
#735
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: BOM-SIN-EWR
Programs: UA*G (1K again), Sixt Plat, *was*: SQ QPP01 & SK EBS/EBG, LH SEN, AA EXP, 9wPlat
Posts: 8,606
It would further help if everyone posts their (approximate?) UTO pricing as well, so we could get an idea of what each route is being quoted at...