Free Upgrades - An Update
Page 2.
Discuss Free Upgrades - An Update, on the Websites & Software forum of FrequentFlyer.com.au, the home of frequent flyers.
Welcome to Australia's leading independent Frequent Flyers resource! We hope you find the information useful and decide to join our online community. Its free to join, simply click on the register link. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
OK so i have a question - how exactly are upgrades offeredand what's the process of getting your new seat allocation?
Does the computer just randomly pick someone? Or does the nice person at the gate do the picking and how do they know that there are seats available because I already have my seat allocated from the checkin counter?
I haven't actually ever seen someone been offered an upgrade so I'm curious as to the process. Thanks for any insights.
On QF, mine have always been given to me at check-in, and I think it was determined before I even got there. TG once upgraded me the aircraft (due to trim reasons - not sure if there was a comment about my weight in how they chose me to move )
Sponsored Links
Registered Users have the option of
removing this and all other advertisements.
More
Location: Home, Work, Airport, Here (not in that order!)
Posts: 4,283
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinwong
OK so i have a question - how exactly are upgrades offeredand what's the process of getting your new seat allocation?
Depends on why they are giving you the upgrade.
If you have a nice friend on the gate, then it's possible they can upgrade you if the situation arises. Same with an onboard friend who upgrades you unofficially (ie, just the seat, not a new boarding pass). This is frowned on within the company I believe... and can get a staffer fired.
Most of my op-ups have been previously determined before I checked in. Comments like "The company has decided to give you an upgrade today" and "You've been upgraded" or just no comment at all tend to imply that the decision was out of the staffer's hands and the computer told them to upgrade.
Sometimes something will happen that causes upgrade opportunities. A large family needing to sit together, too many people checking into the flight, a faulty seat on the plane or a faulty plane or bad weather etc means that Qantas has to decide whether to upgrade people. At this point the gate agent (I believe) looks through the manifest and works out who to upgrade. It often is a Plat/CL members, but if you are sitting in the right seat it could be you who is upgraded. These upgrades may be informed to you via a page at the gate or in the QP or just your boarding pass failing to work at the gate and having to be re-issued.
There is also a slim chance of being upgraded onboard due to certain situations occuring.
oh Brisbull!! When I think of how many miles (how many uncomfortable flights, cold flights, etc etc) I have flown internationally IN ECONOMY to maintain my gold status EVERY YEAR for the last 4 years with Qantas, and the only upgrade I have received was between Brisbane and Cairns. (that is a lot of miles in economy every year!!!)
I read about your trip and the green eyed monster was looking your way!
Good luck to you!
anahababa, I hear you. I've never been upgraded on QF either. If I want to fly in J then I pay for it.
Maybe a bit o/t (ie not QF), but on my 3 flights in December, I was op up'd on each of them (SIN-HKG-SIN on UA, and KUL-SYD on OS).
The OS upgrade was particularly nice (as their Y class is fairly ordinary to say the least) and I have no doubt the reason for each upgrade was overbooking in the Y class cabin. I didn't plan it that way, but it was really appreciated.
Being UA 1K and lifetime Star Gold probably helped a bit.
I just had my first upgrade. I asked at checkin at SCL if there was a chance for an upgrade to F (doing DONE4) for the flight to SYD, the flight was full. Anyway on the AKL-SYD sector my special meal (medical reasons) was not loaded. Chatting with the cabin crew they said they were returning to AKL on the next flight. I let them know I was too. When I came to board the gate agent muttered about regrade, and I was printed a nice BP with 1D. .
I've never had an op-up but a friend of mine with no status recently flew SYD-PEK (on a Chinese Airline, not sure which) and was op-up'd at check in. He was running late for his flight and told when he arrived that Y was full so they moved him to J! Then he had another flight a few days later PEK-NRT. The same thing happened.
Should I try arriving late next time?! I'm always on time for flights as I enjoy using the lounge if I'm on OneWorld or in J/F. I don't usually take the risk of doing longhaul stuck in Y anymore so I either buy a J fare or register for a points upgrade (on QF).
I wonder, as I'm about to go platinum, if I were to book my next long haul in Y could I finally be lucky?! Maybe I never give myself a chance to get an op-up? I don't think I fancy doing so and leaving it open with no chance. I think I'd still have to register for an upgrade. It's such a shame you don't have the option to use your points at check in.
Arriving at check in late is a risky strategy. If your cabin is full and higher cabins are also full you could be downgraded, or if that is not possible, denied boarding. There's less chance of this happening if you have any kind of status.
Member of: AA Exec Plat; QF LTG; PC Plat; HHonors Gold
Posts: 9,857
The late check-in theory does not work with Qantas. By the time check-in under way they already have a good idea if they will need to op-up people and that is done based on status and the ease of which they can move people around to gte the seat groups they need.
If you checkin when the cabin is already full they are more likely to op-up a high-status person that had already checked in and give you their seat. So you may get a good seat. The op-upee will find out at the gate when their BP is rejected by the reader.
But don't rely on this even for a good seat as if you get it wrong you will end up in seat 98E.
)
Linear Mode
