How to upgrade Europe-Australia?
 

I'm thinking of getting a YRWSTAR1 fare for USA-Europe-Australia-USA in October.

What are my best options, either to upgrade to C, or for comfort in Y, for the long legs on the Europe to Australia portion? (I can fly UA metal and use UA miles to upgrade the other long legs.)

I'm a United 1k; I also have around 100k miles (but no status) in each of AA, US, and DL.

I'm aware of two upgrade possibilities (though I don't know how available these are):

1. Use UA miles to upgrade LH metal from FRA, but that will only get me as far as BKK or SIN (looks like the cost is 17,500 miles since YRWSTAR1 books in B)

2. Pay $300-$400 per leg to upgrade on TG (two legs required: one into BKK, another out) http://203.170.161.80/rop/htm/news/exception/excep2.htm

I'd be glad of any suggestions or advice.

Just one note I saw in the fine print for the TG offer - it requires you to be a member of ROP - I don't know if it precludes you from earning miles on UA - you might want to check.

Greg

OS (Lauda) flying Vienna - Kuala Lumpur - Sydney/Melbourne can be upgraded (fro eco to business, this is a two-class flight) with miles&more miles or vouchers.

It is a great pity that we can't seem to use UA miles to upgrade NG flights (ok, ok, OS30xx flights) since they are part of Miles & More http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Incidently the one time I upgraded a B class RTW segment on LH FRA-HKG it cost me the full 35k miles, not the lesser amount.

Just on the Thai upgrade thing - yes, looks nice but I can almost guarantee this wouldn't work on a * RTW. 1. * RTW tix prohobit upgrading of sectors with $$$. 2. A * RTW is not exactly a valid TG fare as it is a combo ticket. I'm fairly certain Thai would not allow this. However, I haven't actually asked them so who knows. Good luck!

------------------
RichardMEL, UA 1K
A Star Alliance Member.

[This message has been edited by RichardMEL (edited 05-28-2002).]

Just on the Thai upgrade thing - yes, looks nice but I can almost guarantee this wouldn't work on a * RTW.

it did work (paying a one segment upgrade from eco to business with SFr/US$), but that was two years ago and I wasn't even a ff-program holder with TG, on a *-rtw starting in Zurich (ZRH-BKK) when I bought that rtw-ticket at TG's downtown office in Zurich. And the upgrade than was confirmed at booking time (about 5 months before my trip started).

[This message has been edited by Rudi (edited 05-28-2002).]

Wow, thanks for that correction Rudi - well I guess I stand corrected.

Oh, and as for my typo above (prohobit) - I am not being controlled by the Lord of the Rings! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

------------------
RichardMEL, UA 1K
A Star Alliance Member.