To be found on the Facebook page called CX Secrets
Status Update
By CX Secrets
#534

With Amex Centurion/Gold giving out so many fake DM and GO status respectively. I find myself giving more and more op-ups and seat preferences to SL members who most likely earned their status the hard way. Does anyone else feel the same?

That is ridiculous. How on earth do they determine those who earned DM the hard way? And is there a hard way to earn SL?

More to the point, this further confirms that ground staff do have a choice who to choose for an op-up.

Actually this confirms nothing. It is an anonymous posting on a Facebook page. It could be any disgruntled passenger who submitted this for posting on that page.

Interesting. How do they determine this?
What kind of details shows up on their screen? If your booking includes your MPO details, after they pull up your name for check in...are they easily able to see what's your current year's club miles? Lifetime miles?

While I don't know how much of it is true, it does sound correct. Remember the "handsome" opup story? Say flight CX123 is overbooked by 30 people. Maybe the computer algorithm already opup 20 GO/DMs prior to arriving the airport. But it does sound like the agent does have some empowerment to choose who are the last 10 non/low status pax SFU/or to VDB.

There's been many reports of even AM/GR members being opuped, especially on regional flights. I wonder if any of these cases, their MMB already upgraded them the day prior to the flight? Or are these all 100% done after they arrived to check in?

Regardless if it's true, the bottom line is that we as pax have very little sway into the decision as to who gets a free upgrade.

Re-reading this, it could be interpreted another way. It could be saying that the computer has been giving out upgrades to Silvers more frequently since the computer knows to discount "fake DM and GO status". So the check-in agent has noticed that more and more free upgrades are going to Silver members, not that they have decided who gets the upgrade.

Besides, there are so many check in agents at different desks and locations. It's not like any particular agent is going to be able to sort through the list of pax for a particular flight and pick and choose the quota. The only person/people who can do this are the people in "airport control" office who might analyse a manifest and do this - and they are far removed from the people who are sitting at the check in desk.

we are all doooooooomed

Good to see you have started on the JD early today.

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How about as OWR

Sometimes I really want to throw the book out. My brother, CX nothing, redemption ticket on PE(T) (from me (GR)), managed to score an op-up to J on CX101 tonight.

When CX introduced PE I thought this may happen - instead of upgrading DMs, GOs, OWEs and what have you from Y to J, the whole PE cabin gets moved up front first regardless of fare and then the status pax to PE. Of course I didn't imagine this will happen on a redemption ticket for a CX/QF/OW nobody who takes CX only two times a year.

I saw a post on a recent thread that suggests another hypothesis. Basically the Y+ and Y cabins are treated as one effective cabin for op-ups to J, or Y+ is an "extension" of sorts of the Y cabin. If only Y is oversold, elites are moved into Y+ in the appropriate pecking order. If both cabins are oversold, however, elites from both cabins are considered to be moved into J in the same pecking order. This means that a DM originally booked in Y could be moved first to Y+, then to J ("double" op-up), trumping a GO originally booked in Y+. I had this happen to me once as a lowly SL. Of course, if only Y+ is oversold, then elites from Y+ will be moved up.

I don't know which hypothesis is true. Could be both, could depend on the departing airport. In your brother's case, it could be that there were no elites in Y+ (your hypothesis), or no elites in both Y+ and Y (abovementioned hypothesis). Either way, rather strange for such an elite-heavy route as SYD.

FYI, the original post, found in the Upgrade sticky thread:

just a recent observation of a DM on regional flights. Based on accounts of flight with cabin sold as PE (so 3 class, J, PE, Y). the KVS looked like this, meaning decent load in J cabin and somewhat light PE and overbooked Econ.

F9 A9 J5 C5 D5 I4 W7 R7 E5 Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0

He was initially moved to PE seat T-10 hours (we kept checking online checkin page)... T-3 hours he was subsequently moved to J cabin. According to belief of "one-class upgrade only", it would have meant entire PE pax were moved to J before my DM friend (with W7R7E5 type of load, it suggest at least 10-15 occupied paid PE pax) was able to score a "double upgrade" from Y to J. But I have different theory...

I think, strictly for purpose of op-ups whether regional/long-haul CX will look at PE and Economy as a same cabin class... so first thing they do is jiggle around and move economy DM/Golds to PE seats like they would always do... then when the entire PE+Y cabin combined together is full and requires an "op-up", they will select the lucky guy from the combined pack, treating as one large cabin. Thus a Gold in PE holding W fare would rank after DM on V-class. This also consistent with previous observation on a SYD route when DM were put straight to J class from Y cabin on a full PE/Y cabin.

Summary (awaiting other case study)
if DM is to travel on Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0 type of a flight, don't bother booking PE for hoping of op-up, just force yourself in with V-class gurantee and let them pick you to sit at J ahead of others holding PE.

(this guy scored double upgrade on both inbound/outbound for his weekend getaway)

I would think it's hardly likely there'll be no elites in Y. My brother's case seems to disprove Y+ and Y being treated as one and the same.

My brother's case doesn't let us make any inference on the number of elites in Y+, but he must be at the bottom and the whole class got upgraded en masse.

But what is wrong with this? CX is being fair.
The DMs and other MPOs got opup to PEY and the PEY is opup to J?

I wasn't protesting the DM/other MPO getting opup to PEY.
In fact, this policy heavily favours people like me who can access PEY availability for dirt cheap with miles but have no status (cos I don't buy revenue tix).

Just wallowing my bro can score an op-up on the second flight of two he's flown in last 12 months. What a fluke.

I also think the segregated timing of the Y-->PE and PE-->J bump also suggests Y and PE are not grouped for the purposes of upgrade. If grouped, your DM friend should have gone straight to the front of the plane.

My interpretation of your friend's scenario is that the first bump (T-10) swept everyone in PE to J and then Y elites to PE. Finding they still need seats at T-3, they looked at the PE cabin again and bumped the elites in the PE cabin then into the J cabin as well even if it meant a double upgrade for them.

What was the equiment in question? If 77H or 74K, could they have decided to open the F cabin for J pax? This may explain decent load for sale in J, but heaps of seats available for seating if need be (F is opened).