Operational Upgrade on LX 16
 

Any tips on how to get an operational upgrade on LX 16 to JFK this Saturday? Y seems to be overbooked; I am Silver.... Chances?

Very easy. Early Check-In, Late boarding, hope that not too many Gold's are on the Fligth.

May I ask the theory behind... I would have thought late check-in, but don't really now how it works...

My esperiences are as following:
- Sometimes they even upgrade you at Check-In already (not only at the gate). Then it makes sense to be early because the just upgrade the Status PAX which are coming first. Of course as Silver this is normally only working if there are no Gold's/Circle's.
- If you are upgraded anyway because of Overbooking it makes no difference if you're boarding early or late, because your upgrade is already in the system.
- If you were not upgraded anyway there is a last chance: If there is somebody not coming from C or F class (no show) they will upgrade another Status Member. But they hate to upgrade somebody which is already sitting in the airplane because other PAX (probably other status PAX as well) can see directly that the Status PAX is getting upgraded. Therefore it is better to be late at the gate. I even passed sometimes some Gold's which had to sit in Y during my times as Silver.

Thats my Theory. Don't know if it is true.

Most of my op-ups happen at the gate. One time however, I was already sitting in my Y seat (on JFK-ZRH) when a ground agent came to me and asked me to "move up". And just as mbr has pointed out, other passengers started inquiring and muttering about being treated "unfairly".

Why would they upgrade you if not overbooked?
 

Xoxo my friend. I don't understand your theory. Why shall they upgrade you if it is not because of overbooking? Why, why, why? I can only remember a single time when I got an upgrade "for nothing". This was on a European flight with an Embraer. Thanks for that, I actually give a s*** on a meal in an Embraer. On another time I had an open operational upgrade remark in the system but didn't get it "because of a lack of meals" in C. :mad:

Sorry Michael. I was probably not clear enough. Of course you get the upgrades because of overbooking. I just wanted to say it depends when and how the overbooking is realized.

- If Y is overbooked but there is a lot of space in C the upgrade you right on Check-In (happend to me 4 times during the last 4 years).
- If Y is overbooked and C and F are full (or overbooked) as well they deny boarding for some standby Y PAX, If all C PAX are coming to the flight. But if there is a no-show of a C or F PAX they will push the next Y-PAX (Status Member) to C/F and another non status PAX from the waiting list to the Y seat. Happend to me 11 times during last 4 years.
- Very rarely, as airoli was explaining, they upgrade you if you're already sitting in the plane. I think that only happens if all Status Members are already boarded. Happend to me only 2 times during last 4 years, and always several people were complaining about unfair treatment as airoli explained as well. That's the reason why they normally don't like to do that.

Hi Mr T

Sorry, I missed you in you-know-where. I thoughtof you on the way back - there was a solitary C-class passenger in seat 1A of a completely full Embraer/Concordeski (whatever). While one of the cabin girls handed out KitKats to the rest of us, the other girl microwaved his lunch.

Was the "lack of meals" in GRU? I got exactly the same excuse there from the LX station manager. I upgraded myself with miles, then watched as some local friends-and-family got their boarding passes switched to C at the gate.

Ian

Hello together,

just two notes from my side: I sat once on seat 2A on a full Concordetzkino (Saab 2000) BSL-MUC with a biz-ticket. Amazingly the two passengers on 2D/F had eco-tickets: I was asked if I am Mr. rorschi and if I have a biz-ticket, and got a free coffee and a sandwich. 2 D and F had to pay for...

On another flight (JFK-GVA on an A330) I asked at the gate, if I could have an upgrade to F against miles, which was denied initially because of "lack of F-Class-Food". When I said that it's just for the lie-flat-seat and I don't care for the food, and would even take this one from Economy, they gave me the upgrade. Finally, just one meal from the menu-card was "sold out".

And the only op-up in the last two years I refused, because I preferred to keep my window-seat in Y instead of a middle-seat in C on the A319 (1E). The flight time was as long as 40 minutes... (MUC-ZRH).

Conclusion: Every journey is different;)

Patrick