SK2751

I also think that the best availability tickets is a better way to go. And then you also transfer some of your points back to the next qualification year. sometimes I have seen good value offers on days when the cash tickets were already fairly pricey. When cash price gets definitely out of the bargain range, the points price still stays stable for some time, until it bumps to the next threshold.

hoangtri1

If I'm unable to purchase a business class ticket on a particular route (via SAS's website), does that mean that all business class seats for that route have been sold (and therefore no one will receive an upgrade via the Plusgrade system)?

Jainzar

hoangtri1

Looks like there are 3 business class seats available (the system now shows a few open seats). My Plusgrade bid of $465 was denied. I'll see if a cash upgrade is available at the airport tomorrow.

ksu

Sorry if this has been answered. I haven't used Plusgrade yet. My travels are usually domestically, and an upgrade to Plus is not something I'd pay for, as I usually have reserved an emergency exit seat and get a free drink in Go as EBD. My international travel last year has mostly been on DY and LH, except OSL-MIA r/t in Plus using points (Op-Up on the outbound)..

I'm planning to go to ORD in a month's time, probably booking SK Plus. I will try to upgrade using Plusgrade. I'd prefer to use points for the upgrade. Any data whether points or money are better for getting an upgrade?

Also: does the price of the original ticket or the earliness of the bid matter? Or is it just the size of the bid and the status of the bidder that matters?

herwig

Status matters and of course how much money / points you are bidding. Price of the minimum bid gives a rough indication how likely they accept offers. E.g. when the flight is overbooked in Go or plus upgrade prices in points and money are usually lower, especially in holiday season.
If you are EBD i would only good 20.000-30.000 points max and if you are declined try to op up for 35.000 at the gate. You can also pay your way but often points are a much more reasonable option. Cheapest price I have seen for paid plusgrade is 2500 SEK ( which is good price) but it can go up to 7500 SEK or even higher.
THe booking class (e.g. whether you have A compared to S or Y) doesn't seem to matter. I got several upgrades on A while higher booking classes had been rejected.

ksu

Thanks!
So whether the bid is made in money or in points does not matter? I.e. minimum + 25 % in points would have the same chance of succeeding as minimum + 25 % in money?

herwig

I cannot give any advice on that. I only bid money when the price is really attractive (2.500 SEK or less) and had some success there (usually Go --> Plus). Most of the time I use points and in accordance to the strategy I outlined above. I am not desperate to fly in Business at any price. I also prefer a day flight in Business (so I can work more properly) over a night flight as I actually sleep quite well (for an airplane sleep) in the Plus seats.

hoangtri1

So I just got back from my trip. Regarding Plusgrade:

1) LAX to ARN bid of $465 was rejected.
2) There were 3 seats available and unsold. At the airport, they wanted $1,099 which I thought was too much so I passed.
3) Return trip, ARN to ORD, my bid of $440 was accepted so I flew business class on SAS.

TexasMatthew

Is this from Plus to Biz ... or from Go to Biz?

TexasMatthew

I booked an award ticket on UA ticket stock for SAS (ORD-CPH) ... the bidding system says it's not eligible for upgrade. Can I buy an upgrade at the gate to Plus or Biz ... or is that not possible? ... I've read people trying that on LH, and they've been told no at the gate. But then again, SAS let's their members bid on upgrades on award tickets, so I'm curious if there is something I'm missing here by chance.

hoangtri1

Plus to biz...I asked twice to confirm that it was Plus to Biz but it is possible the agent didn't care. She didn't seem too interested.

SurfNorway

Has anyone noted that the minimum bid allowed (in money) has recently jumped by about 2.5x? I've only just discovered Plusgrade the last year or so, and have won probably 2 out of every 3 flights I bid on (I commute between Norway - USA via ARN). So far I've ordered the cheapest coach fare I could find that fits with my travel requirements, and then put in a Plusgrade bid on each transatlantic flight. Until two weeks ago, the bid was usually somewhere around 4-5000 SEK. Now for the same flights, at the same times of year, the minimum bid is 11-12000 SEK.

The really weird part is that I can go to SAS' website and buy a business ticket directly for the minimum bid amount, and that isn't even taking my original fare into consideration. I brought it up with both SAS and Plusgrade, but didn't receive any answer that was helpful. From my understanding, the whole system is designed to ensure that once booking is closed, an airline has the possibility to generate additional revenue by auctioning off any unbooked seats in First/Business/Plus at a discounted price, resulting in a win-win for the airline and passenger. Is this assumption flawed?

It seems like a rather unusual strategy to open bidding at the retail price of the ticket, and I wanted to ask the more experienced folks here if that's typical or not.

Thanks,
Surf

herwig

It's not untypical.
You might though have a look on changing the ticket to business class and pay a small change fee for it plus the difference to business class. It might be a more reasonable option to get into business class and it's guaranteed.
There is not always reasoning behind these high upgrade prices but I have seen them too, especially when business class is already well booked or SAS is still expecting to sell almost all business seats.

hoangtri1

After purchasing my ticket, I had a return segment from ARN to ORD (Chicago). The minimum bid for this segment was $750 (Plus to Business). However, after a few weeks, the minimum was lowered to $350. I ended up getting upgraded to business for $440 (through Plusgrade).