Upgrade on award ticket, possible?
May 15, 2019, 8:31 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 123
Upgrade on award ticket, possible?
Looking at the ticket to Beijing next year, seems the maximum numbers of business class ticket are 2 with 4 plus. I've booked two biz tickets for wife and son, could anyone help if the upgrade is possibleif I book another SAS plus seat?
Thanks
Thanks
May 15, 2019, 9:46 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: AGH
Posts: 5,971
You can also book the ticket and check back regularly if more J awards open up and rebook the Plus tickets. It is not impossible to get 3 or 4 J awards to PEK.
May 17, 2019, 4:45 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CPH, Swedish side of the bridge
Programs: SK*G (EBD)
Posts: 574
I just returned from an award trip last week - J availability CPH-ORD, but only Plus for the return. Chanced it with Plusgrade and got the expected negative reply. No problem getting a gate upgrade to 1d/f at ORD on departure. So here is one data point that says you might get it, but it is definitely far from certain.
May 17, 2019, 8:28 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: ARN
Posts: 1,034
I just returned from an award trip last week - J availability CPH-ORD, but only Plus for the return. Chanced it with Plusgrade and got the expected negative reply. No problem getting a gate upgrade to 1d/f at ORD on departure. So here is one data point that says you might get it, but it is definitely far from certain.
May 17, 2019, 4:20 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,156
May 18, 2019, 12:32 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CPH, Swedish side of the bridge
Programs: SK*G (EBD)
Posts: 574
This time it worked differently than what I usually experience - I requested at check-in, fully expecting my new boarding cards on the spot. I get bc's with my plus seats and told that I am "on standby" and to talk to the gate staff. Left lounge at t-80 minutes and the staff was there. Talked to them, and was asked if I was on the waiting list. Said yes, and they issued the new bc's and I happily trotted back to the lounge. I have always previously gotten this taken care of at check-in, so I guess this may be a new policy? Or maybe just standard unpredictability from SK?
May 18, 2019, 12:35 am
#8
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CPH, Swedish side of the bridge
Programs: SK*G (EBD)
Posts: 574
Mentioning your status will most likely get you nowhere. CU's come via mail and you know it before you get to the airport. I have only once gotten a "deal" on upgrades, and that was 4 for the price of 2 on an unusually empty flight ex-IAD. Otherwise you pay full price with points or cash.
May 18, 2019, 1:01 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
This time it worked differently than what I usually experience - I requested at check-in, fully expecting my new boarding cards on the spot. I get bc's with my plus seats and told that I am "on standby" and to talk to the gate staff. Left lounge at t-80 minutes and the staff was there. Talked to them, and was asked if I was on the waiting list. Said yes, and they issued the new bc's and I happily trotted back to the lounge. I have always previously gotten this taken care of at check-in, so I guess this may be a new policy? Or maybe just standard unpredictability from SK?
May 18, 2019, 6:53 am
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
I have had SAS op-up upgrade me on some long-haul flights as a UA*G, LH*G and A3*G using award tickets issued by SK partner airlines. But for me, most of those were into or out of CPH and almost never out or ARN nor OSL. I haven’t asked SAS check-in staff to be upgraded on these flights.
SAS never upgrades me out of ORD as an OAL*G, even as I buy at least 20 regular paid tickets a year for ORD-CPH/ARN-ORD and am on many a flight that is sold out in economy class and/or premium economy class. Enough of those flights are booked in economy or premium economy that I would have expected at least one op-up to happen in recent years, but it doesn’t happen for me at ORD.
SAS never upgrades me out of ORD as an OAL*G, even as I buy at least 20 regular paid tickets a year for ORD-CPH/ARN-ORD and am on many a flight that is sold out in economy class and/or premium economy class. Enough of those flights are booked in economy or premium economy that I would have expected at least one op-up to happen in recent years, but it doesn’t happen for me at ORD.
May 18, 2019, 11:32 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,156
This time it worked differently than what I usually experience - I requested at check-in, fully expecting my new boarding cards on the spot. I get bc's with my plus seats and told that I am "on standby" and to talk to the gate staff. Left lounge at t-80 minutes and the staff was there. Talked to them, and was asked if I was on the waiting list. Said yes, and they issued the new bc's and I happily trotted back to the lounge. I have always previously gotten this taken care of at check-in, so I guess this may be a new policy? Or maybe just standard unpredictability from SK?