Upgrade J to F with miles
Jul 2, 2024, 6:22 pm
#346
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: American AAdvantage
Posts: 1,074
Jul 11, 2024, 11:40 pm
#347
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: SFO, JFK/LGA, SEA
Programs: Alaska 75K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, *A Gold w/ TK M&S
Posts: 931
Hi all! Given the previous ~$900 r/t First Class fare on BKK <=> HKG seems to have expired, I was looking to use the "upgrade with miles" approach on a cash fare. I'm seeing the following: Obviously the Saver Biz fare is only upgradeable at check-in. However, does the green check mark mean that the Flex fare is immediately upgradeable AND that there's space to do so? Or just that I don't have to wait until check-in to upgrade that segment? (11,500 miles to upgrade seems like a bargain, even for a ~3 hour flight)
The upgrade options displayed
The upgrade options displayed
Jul 11, 2024, 11:45 pm
#348
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,417
However, does the green check mark mean that the Flex fare is immediately upgradeable AND that there's space to do so? Or just that I don't have to wait until check-in to upgrade that segment? (11,500 miles to upgrade seems like a bargain, even for a ~3 hour flight)
Jul 11, 2024, 11:50 pm
#349
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: SFO, JFK/LGA, SEA
Programs: Alaska 75K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, *A Gold w/ TK M&S
Posts: 931
Gotcha. How can I check if space to upgrade is available? Is it 1:1 with mileage award tickets, or should I call Emirates to check in tandem with making my booking, so they can apply the upgrade immediately if it is possible?
Jul 12, 2024, 7:15 am
#350
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,389
Upgrade is indeed 1:1 with mileage award. Do a dummy booking, looking for classic rewards. Make sure you also use a ‘fictitious’ return date as classic rewards only apply to return tickets not to one-way. But upgrades are also available for one way. If the award flight is available for the leg you are looking at, the upgrade will be available as well (that’s at the time you do that dummy booking, be aware that it may be gone at baby time thereafter!)
Aug 3, 2024, 4:48 am
#351
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: JFK, LGA
Programs: AA PRO, BA S
Posts: 189
DP: originally booked MXP-JFK back in Feb for travel on a Monday in Nov: 1 F and 1 J ticket for the wife and me, put myself on the upgrade notify list for J>F. Checked awards daily and today (4 months out) they opened one seat in F (1/14 occupied) - didn’t send a notification alert out so was able to get the jump on everyone and transfer in the miles.
Aug 8, 2024, 12:35 pm
#352
Join Date: Oct 2023
Posts: 38
DP: originally booked MXP-JFK back in Feb for travel on a Monday in Nov: 1 F and 1 J ticket for the wife and me, put myself on the upgrade notify list for J>F. Checked awards daily and today (4 months out) they opened one seat in F (1/14 occupied) - didn’t send a notification alert out so was able to get the jump on everyone and transfer in the miles.
Aug 9, 2024, 7:26 am
#353
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: HH Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Jetblue Mosaic
Posts: 708
Seats aero works. I was alerted of F availability last week. Had my first class seat within minutes
Aug 23, 2024, 3:29 am
#354
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: AA PPro
Posts: 637
OK, let this pass for a few days so it wouldn't bother me and I could just enjoy my trip, but wanted to post my experience while it was still relatively fresh on my mind. The following is definitely a first world problem, but if you are reading all the pages of this thread hoping for an upgrade like I was, I guess you should know this could happen. Especially when getting simultaneous upgrades for 2 to first class at the same time basically can only happen at airport check in, space allowing.
TLDR: Tried to upgrade at airport check in with miles, found unhelpful EWR contract staff who made poor suggestions and sought no outside help when the system would not process the upgrade, then sent me away. Still no idea why the upgrade failed despite seats being available and confirmation I had the requisite miles in my account.
Flew EWR-ATH route with a J award on Sunday night, 8/18 with my wife. Was monitoring the situation on ExpertFlyer and even though an advance upgrade was never available I knew seats were open and would be fair game at airport check in. I waited to OLCI until the 6 hour mark when any possibility of upgrades ends on the booking. page. At EWR check in starts 4 hours before the flight, so I got there about an hour earlier than that to make sure I would be the first in line. Word to the wise at EWR the check in area is shared with SAS in the afternoon, so truly until about 30 min before check in there was no way to even be in line. In any case though, mission accomplished, as soon as the queues were being put out for Emirates we got in the business line. What follows I already know is a case of contract workers, although the supervising Emirates employee who clearly walked through the area during what follows either wasn't interested, and/or the contract workers ignored my direct request to see if she was able to assist.
I get to the desk, ask politely about the possibility to upgrade to first with miles to first class, and the agent confirmed that seats were available and the cost in miles, which I already knew and had in my account. She attempted to pull the upgrade and told me there was an error. She suggested trying my wife's account, but it didn't have any miles. She was nice enough but could only say there was an error according to the computer, and we double checked my skywards account was on the reservation and her computer showed I had the needed miles. Her co-worker tried the same and at this point it was suggested to me that my ticketed name, as per my passport, was not a 100% match for middle initial and suffix and that I would need to contact Emirates to have that changed. I got on the phone with Emirates (word to the wise the contact number on the Emirates app is not toll-free, I now have an over $100 international call on my phone to deal with) and started that process, and was asked to step aside from the line and come back when that was dealt with. Long phone call and photos of passport sent to Emirates I got back to the agent with my skywards account 100% matching the ticket, and this is where things really got frustrating.
The upgrade still wouldn't process, now the check in agents made a series of suggestions that were misinformed or flat out wrong, and for the life of me I guess at no point do they actually solicit help from Emirates? I was told I should "transfer the points to my wife's account" which is not free, I was told I could pay $2,400 in cash instead per ticket (which I thought you cannot do on a points redemption, and wasn't about to pay in any case), I was told that points redemptions cannot be upgraded (also very definitely not true, which the EK agent still on the phone verified to the staff who didn't seem to be interested in input from the airline), I was asked to have the agent remove the Skywards number from the reservation, and then the check in staff insisted it was not removed, I was then told that they could upgrade my wife using my miles, but that I would have to try on the plane to upgrade, but earlier if the miles had been in my wife's account somehow that would have worked for both of us. After an hour at the counter I was politely moved on and told the agents on the plane had a "different system," plenty of seats remained, and there was no way to hold them for us (fair enough). At no point was I or the staff really rude, but again I was told many blatantly incorrect things (I get it, contract workers who don't care), no one involved the actual supervisor from the airline despite my asking why she was not being pulled into the conversation or attempted to seek assistance from EK, and really I think the only person in the entire scenario who actually felt any sympathy for the fact I had did everything I could to secure an upgrade was the phone agent from the airline, who really wanted to help find a resolution.
I went to the SAS Lounge (continuing in my side review narrative, the only good thing about which is that it is better than the cramped terminal when your flight gets delayed, other than that, don't show up early for this lounge!) and did an online chat with another EK agent to ask if they could review my reservation and see if there was any reason that the upgrade wasn't able to be pulled, if I could even just understand what the problem is so it could be corrected for the future. All I got was a canned response from the chat agent about upgrades not being guaranteed and a link to a complaint form.
Just in case there was a lag in what the EK phone agent did, I went to the gate shortly after it was staffed, to ask there, and was then informed that the F cabin was now full, and I could ask again on the plane if there were no- shows. At this point the seat map still showed 1 seat open and 2 blocked (yes I know not a sure thing, but this close to the flight all seats should be assigned), but now the flight was delayed over an hour and I had gotten so frustrated from the total failure of turning up at the airport 5 hours early (my decision I know!) that I figured I wouldn't even enjoy F properly if I managed to extract it so late in the process. So we boarded, didn't inquire further, and had a lovely time in Business and will have to hope for another chance to use the miles sitting in my account in the future. (final note on my parallel side narrative on the flight EK210, probably not worth it to consider upgrading to F unless like me, it could end up being your only ever chance to do so, as there is no way I would have properly been able to down Dom P and caviar all flight by the time we were airborne).
However, if you have read this far and have any ideas, my concern continues to me I have no idea why the upgrade would not go through, even though the tickets were purchased in Skywards miles from the account in question. Since I got so many completely false statements from the contract staff, I have no idea if even the small name mismatch of my middle initial and suffix were even a problem at all (they weren't a problem when I booked the ticket for myself and my skywards number was attached to the reservation the whole time). So what is to stop me from making a point to try this again in the future and only have the same issue?
TLDR: Tried to upgrade at airport check in with miles, found unhelpful EWR contract staff who made poor suggestions and sought no outside help when the system would not process the upgrade, then sent me away. Still no idea why the upgrade failed despite seats being available and confirmation I had the requisite miles in my account.
Flew EWR-ATH route with a J award on Sunday night, 8/18 with my wife. Was monitoring the situation on ExpertFlyer and even though an advance upgrade was never available I knew seats were open and would be fair game at airport check in. I waited to OLCI until the 6 hour mark when any possibility of upgrades ends on the booking. page. At EWR check in starts 4 hours before the flight, so I got there about an hour earlier than that to make sure I would be the first in line. Word to the wise at EWR the check in area is shared with SAS in the afternoon, so truly until about 30 min before check in there was no way to even be in line. In any case though, mission accomplished, as soon as the queues were being put out for Emirates we got in the business line. What follows I already know is a case of contract workers, although the supervising Emirates employee who clearly walked through the area during what follows either wasn't interested, and/or the contract workers ignored my direct request to see if she was able to assist.
I get to the desk, ask politely about the possibility to upgrade to first with miles to first class, and the agent confirmed that seats were available and the cost in miles, which I already knew and had in my account. She attempted to pull the upgrade and told me there was an error. She suggested trying my wife's account, but it didn't have any miles. She was nice enough but could only say there was an error according to the computer, and we double checked my skywards account was on the reservation and her computer showed I had the needed miles. Her co-worker tried the same and at this point it was suggested to me that my ticketed name, as per my passport, was not a 100% match for middle initial and suffix and that I would need to contact Emirates to have that changed. I got on the phone with Emirates (word to the wise the contact number on the Emirates app is not toll-free, I now have an over $100 international call on my phone to deal with) and started that process, and was asked to step aside from the line and come back when that was dealt with. Long phone call and photos of passport sent to Emirates I got back to the agent with my skywards account 100% matching the ticket, and this is where things really got frustrating.
The upgrade still wouldn't process, now the check in agents made a series of suggestions that were misinformed or flat out wrong, and for the life of me I guess at no point do they actually solicit help from Emirates? I was told I should "transfer the points to my wife's account" which is not free, I was told I could pay $2,400 in cash instead per ticket (which I thought you cannot do on a points redemption, and wasn't about to pay in any case), I was told that points redemptions cannot be upgraded (also very definitely not true, which the EK agent still on the phone verified to the staff who didn't seem to be interested in input from the airline), I was asked to have the agent remove the Skywards number from the reservation, and then the check in staff insisted it was not removed, I was then told that they could upgrade my wife using my miles, but that I would have to try on the plane to upgrade, but earlier if the miles had been in my wife's account somehow that would have worked for both of us. After an hour at the counter I was politely moved on and told the agents on the plane had a "different system," plenty of seats remained, and there was no way to hold them for us (fair enough). At no point was I or the staff really rude, but again I was told many blatantly incorrect things (I get it, contract workers who don't care), no one involved the actual supervisor from the airline despite my asking why she was not being pulled into the conversation or attempted to seek assistance from EK, and really I think the only person in the entire scenario who actually felt any sympathy for the fact I had did everything I could to secure an upgrade was the phone agent from the airline, who really wanted to help find a resolution.
I went to the SAS Lounge (continuing in my side review narrative, the only good thing about which is that it is better than the cramped terminal when your flight gets delayed, other than that, don't show up early for this lounge!) and did an online chat with another EK agent to ask if they could review my reservation and see if there was any reason that the upgrade wasn't able to be pulled, if I could even just understand what the problem is so it could be corrected for the future. All I got was a canned response from the chat agent about upgrades not being guaranteed and a link to a complaint form.
Just in case there was a lag in what the EK phone agent did, I went to the gate shortly after it was staffed, to ask there, and was then informed that the F cabin was now full, and I could ask again on the plane if there were no- shows. At this point the seat map still showed 1 seat open and 2 blocked (yes I know not a sure thing, but this close to the flight all seats should be assigned), but now the flight was delayed over an hour and I had gotten so frustrated from the total failure of turning up at the airport 5 hours early (my decision I know!) that I figured I wouldn't even enjoy F properly if I managed to extract it so late in the process. So we boarded, didn't inquire further, and had a lovely time in Business and will have to hope for another chance to use the miles sitting in my account in the future. (final note on my parallel side narrative on the flight EK210, probably not worth it to consider upgrading to F unless like me, it could end up being your only ever chance to do so, as there is no way I would have properly been able to down Dom P and caviar all flight by the time we were airborne).
However, if you have read this far and have any ideas, my concern continues to me I have no idea why the upgrade would not go through, even though the tickets were purchased in Skywards miles from the account in question. Since I got so many completely false statements from the contract staff, I have no idea if even the small name mismatch of my middle initial and suffix were even a problem at all (they weren't a problem when I booked the ticket for myself and my skywards number was attached to the reservation the whole time). So what is to stop me from making a point to try this again in the future and only have the same issue?
Aug 23, 2024, 4:26 am
#355
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,862
I don't believe you can "officially" upgrade a reward flight with Skywards points.
However, it sometimes works onboard (I've done it a couple of times).
Was it a Skywards Reward flight in the first place, or a reward from a partner?
However, it sometimes works onboard (I've done it a couple of times).
Was it a Skywards Reward flight in the first place, or a reward from a partner?
Aug 23, 2024, 5:20 am
#356
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,666
jamie
Aug 23, 2024, 5:22 am
#357
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,862
OK- thanks. Maybe it's changed. Are these Skywards Rewards?
Aug 23, 2024, 6:50 am
#359
Join Date: Oct 2023
Posts: 38
OK, let this pass for a few days so it wouldn't bother me and I could just enjoy my trip, but wanted to post my experience while it was still relatively fresh on my mind. The following is definitely a first world problem, but if you are reading all the pages of this thread hoping for an upgrade like I was, I guess you should know this could happen. Especially when getting simultaneous upgrades for 2 to first class at the same time basically can only happen at airport check in, space allowing.
TLDR: Tried to upgrade at airport check in with miles, found unhelpful EWR contract staff who made poor suggestions and sought no outside help when the system would not process the upgrade, then sent me away. Still no idea why the upgrade failed despite seats being available and confirmation I had the requisite miles in my account.
Flew EWR-ATH route with a J award on Sunday night, 8/18 with my wife. Was monitoring the situation on ExpertFlyer and even though an advance upgrade was never available I knew seats were open and would be fair game at airport check in. I waited to OLCI until the 6 hour mark when any possibility of upgrades ends on the booking. page. At EWR check in starts 4 hours before the flight, so I got there about an hour earlier than that to make sure I would be the first in line. Word to the wise at EWR the check in area is shared with SAS in the afternoon, so truly until about 30 min before check in there was no way to even be in line. In any case though, mission accomplished, as soon as the queues were being put out for Emirates we got in the business line. What follows I already know is a case of contract workers, although the supervising Emirates employee who clearly walked through the area during what follows either wasn't interested, and/or the contract workers ignored my direct request to see if she was able to assist.
I get to the desk, ask politely about the possibility to upgrade to first with miles to first class, and the agent confirmed that seats were available and the cost in miles, which I already knew and had in my account. She attempted to pull the upgrade and told me there was an error. She suggested trying my wife's account, but it didn't have any miles. She was nice enough but could only say there was an error according to the computer, and we double checked my skywards account was on the reservation and her computer showed I had the needed miles. Her co-worker tried the same and at this point it was suggested to me that my ticketed name, as per my passport, was not a 100% match for middle initial and suffix and that I would need to contact Emirates to have that changed. I got on the phone with Emirates (word to the wise the contact number on the Emirates app is not toll-free, I now have an over $100 international call on my phone to deal with) and started that process, and was asked to step aside from the line and come back when that was dealt with. Long phone call and photos of passport sent to Emirates I got back to the agent with my skywards account 100% matching the ticket, and this is where things really got frustrating.
The upgrade still wouldn't process, now the check in agents made a series of suggestions that were misinformed or flat out wrong, and for the life of me I guess at no point do they actually solicit help from Emirates? I was told I should "transfer the points to my wife's account" which is not free, I was told I could pay $2,400 in cash instead per ticket (which I thought you cannot do on a points redemption, and wasn't about to pay in any case), I was told that points redemptions cannot be upgraded (also very definitely not true, which the EK agent still on the phone verified to the staff who didn't seem to be interested in input from the airline), I was asked to have the agent remove the Skywards number from the reservation, and then the check in staff insisted it was not removed, I was then told that they could upgrade my wife using my miles, but that I would have to try on the plane to upgrade, but earlier if the miles had been in my wife's account somehow that would have worked for both of us. After an hour at the counter I was politely moved on and told the agents on the plane had a "different system," plenty of seats remained, and there was no way to hold them for us (fair enough). At no point was I or the staff really rude, but again I was told many blatantly incorrect things (I get it, contract workers who don't care), no one involved the actual supervisor from the airline despite my asking why she was not being pulled into the conversation or attempted to seek assistance from EK, and really I think the only person in the entire scenario who actually felt any sympathy for the fact I had did everything I could to secure an upgrade was the phone agent from the airline, who really wanted to help find a resolution.
I went to the SAS Lounge (continuing in my side review narrative, the only good thing about which is that it is better than the cramped terminal when your flight gets delayed, other than that, don't show up early for this lounge!) and did an online chat with another EK agent to ask if they could review my reservation and see if there was any reason that the upgrade wasn't able to be pulled, if I could even just understand what the problem is so it could be corrected for the future. All I got was a canned response from the chat agent about upgrades not being guaranteed and a link to a complaint form.
Just in case there was a lag in what the EK phone agent did, I went to the gate shortly after it was staffed, to ask there, and was then informed that the F cabin was now full, and I could ask again on the plane if there were no- shows. At this point the seat map still showed 1 seat open and 2 blocked (yes I know not a sure thing, but this close to the flight all seats should be assigned), but now the flight was delayed over an hour and I had gotten so frustrated from the total failure of turning up at the airport 5 hours early (my decision I know!) that I figured I wouldn't even enjoy F properly if I managed to extract it so late in the process. So we boarded, didn't inquire further, and had a lovely time in Business and will have to hope for another chance to use the miles sitting in my account in the future. (final note on my parallel side narrative on the flight EK210, probably not worth it to consider upgrading to F unless like me, it could end up being your only ever chance to do so, as there is no way I would have properly been able to down Dom P and caviar all flight by the time we were airborne).
However, if you have read this far and have any ideas, my concern continues to me I have no idea why the upgrade would not go through, even though the tickets were purchased in Skywards miles from the account in question. Since I got so many completely false statements from the contract staff, I have no idea if even the small name mismatch of my middle initial and suffix were even a problem at all (they weren't a problem when I booked the ticket for myself and my skywards number was attached to the reservation the whole time). So what is to stop me from making a point to try this again in the future and only have the same issue?
TLDR: Tried to upgrade at airport check in with miles, found unhelpful EWR contract staff who made poor suggestions and sought no outside help when the system would not process the upgrade, then sent me away. Still no idea why the upgrade failed despite seats being available and confirmation I had the requisite miles in my account.
Flew EWR-ATH route with a J award on Sunday night, 8/18 with my wife. Was monitoring the situation on ExpertFlyer and even though an advance upgrade was never available I knew seats were open and would be fair game at airport check in. I waited to OLCI until the 6 hour mark when any possibility of upgrades ends on the booking. page. At EWR check in starts 4 hours before the flight, so I got there about an hour earlier than that to make sure I would be the first in line. Word to the wise at EWR the check in area is shared with SAS in the afternoon, so truly until about 30 min before check in there was no way to even be in line. In any case though, mission accomplished, as soon as the queues were being put out for Emirates we got in the business line. What follows I already know is a case of contract workers, although the supervising Emirates employee who clearly walked through the area during what follows either wasn't interested, and/or the contract workers ignored my direct request to see if she was able to assist.
I get to the desk, ask politely about the possibility to upgrade to first with miles to first class, and the agent confirmed that seats were available and the cost in miles, which I already knew and had in my account. She attempted to pull the upgrade and told me there was an error. She suggested trying my wife's account, but it didn't have any miles. She was nice enough but could only say there was an error according to the computer, and we double checked my skywards account was on the reservation and her computer showed I had the needed miles. Her co-worker tried the same and at this point it was suggested to me that my ticketed name, as per my passport, was not a 100% match for middle initial and suffix and that I would need to contact Emirates to have that changed. I got on the phone with Emirates (word to the wise the contact number on the Emirates app is not toll-free, I now have an over $100 international call on my phone to deal with) and started that process, and was asked to step aside from the line and come back when that was dealt with. Long phone call and photos of passport sent to Emirates I got back to the agent with my skywards account 100% matching the ticket, and this is where things really got frustrating.
The upgrade still wouldn't process, now the check in agents made a series of suggestions that were misinformed or flat out wrong, and for the life of me I guess at no point do they actually solicit help from Emirates? I was told I should "transfer the points to my wife's account" which is not free, I was told I could pay $2,400 in cash instead per ticket (which I thought you cannot do on a points redemption, and wasn't about to pay in any case), I was told that points redemptions cannot be upgraded (also very definitely not true, which the EK agent still on the phone verified to the staff who didn't seem to be interested in input from the airline), I was asked to have the agent remove the Skywards number from the reservation, and then the check in staff insisted it was not removed, I was then told that they could upgrade my wife using my miles, but that I would have to try on the plane to upgrade, but earlier if the miles had been in my wife's account somehow that would have worked for both of us. After an hour at the counter I was politely moved on and told the agents on the plane had a "different system," plenty of seats remained, and there was no way to hold them for us (fair enough). At no point was I or the staff really rude, but again I was told many blatantly incorrect things (I get it, contract workers who don't care), no one involved the actual supervisor from the airline despite my asking why she was not being pulled into the conversation or attempted to seek assistance from EK, and really I think the only person in the entire scenario who actually felt any sympathy for the fact I had did everything I could to secure an upgrade was the phone agent from the airline, who really wanted to help find a resolution.
I went to the SAS Lounge (continuing in my side review narrative, the only good thing about which is that it is better than the cramped terminal when your flight gets delayed, other than that, don't show up early for this lounge!) and did an online chat with another EK agent to ask if they could review my reservation and see if there was any reason that the upgrade wasn't able to be pulled, if I could even just understand what the problem is so it could be corrected for the future. All I got was a canned response from the chat agent about upgrades not being guaranteed and a link to a complaint form.
Just in case there was a lag in what the EK phone agent did, I went to the gate shortly after it was staffed, to ask there, and was then informed that the F cabin was now full, and I could ask again on the plane if there were no- shows. At this point the seat map still showed 1 seat open and 2 blocked (yes I know not a sure thing, but this close to the flight all seats should be assigned), but now the flight was delayed over an hour and I had gotten so frustrated from the total failure of turning up at the airport 5 hours early (my decision I know!) that I figured I wouldn't even enjoy F properly if I managed to extract it so late in the process. So we boarded, didn't inquire further, and had a lovely time in Business and will have to hope for another chance to use the miles sitting in my account in the future. (final note on my parallel side narrative on the flight EK210, probably not worth it to consider upgrading to F unless like me, it could end up being your only ever chance to do so, as there is no way I would have properly been able to down Dom P and caviar all flight by the time we were airborne).
However, if you have read this far and have any ideas, my concern continues to me I have no idea why the upgrade would not go through, even though the tickets were purchased in Skywards miles from the account in question. Since I got so many completely false statements from the contract staff, I have no idea if even the small name mismatch of my middle initial and suffix were even a problem at all (they weren't a problem when I booked the ticket for myself and my skywards number was attached to the reservation the whole time). So what is to stop me from making a point to try this again in the future and only have the same issue?
Aug 23, 2024, 7:03 am
#360
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,389
The EK-employed supervisor at check in would have been the best option but it would appear he / she was either not interested or not successful.
There seems to be a misunderstanding with 'space available' here: In my (limited) experience with upgrades at check in at outstations, the supervisor has always requested the upgrade and I have been given the BP either by the lounge assistant when the flight was closed (T-1 hour) when the 'space available' upgrades get released or even at the gate (that wonderful 'double beep and red light' when the original BP gets scanned). Mrs t once had a Y -> J upgrade issued at check in, presumably because there was no chance that the J cabin would fill up. But to me, that is rare.
It would appear that in the case above, the cabin was expected to fill up (as it did) and therefore no upgrades were issued several hours before departure. So I am not surprised by the initial problem at all. F availability can change a lot just before departure, not everyone flies on upgrades which are paid for with credit card points etc and some pay bug money for Flex+ F tickets and change flights when there business is done! I have a paid F ticket next week, the seat map on the A380 sector currently shows 2/14, on the 77W sector 2/8. I am sure there will be very few if any free seats when we leave LHR/DXB!
But what should have happened above is that there was a 'request' and if there were seats available tat T-1 they should have been issued. It is not entirely clear what the picking order in such a scenario is, status or 'first come first serve'.
Last edited by thijsseh; Aug 23, 2024 at 7:16 am