Upgrade on a flight?

[bermondburi]

So I'm just about to go up to the next level with my regular carrier, Gulf Air. 

 

I've already noticed that I'm getting seated closer to the front in economy, in the low 20s etc without prebooking a particular seat. Priority baggage handling is also noticeable.

 

So I'm wondering about the probability of getting free upgrades at the next level. A colleague of mine used to get it a couple of times a year as a frequent flyer with Qatar. 

 

Apart from the extra baggage allowances I don't find the schemes that great, as even with the miles you're still paying the taxes. 

 

So, upgrades anyone?

 

What are your experiences with other airlines if you were a frequent flyer with one particular airline?

[scorecard]

Re Thai Inter, I had a gold card with them for 14 years, ton's of points, upgrade never seemed to happen

 

Further many time at economy check-in I asked if any upgrade possible ans showed them my most recent letter with the points balance, often 4 or 5 times the points needed for upgrade.

 

Never happened and always the same aloof comment. Other airlines have problems so they need to upgrade passengers but we don't have these problems so no upgrades.

 

 

[richard_smith237]

Emirates will upgrade you once or twice per year out of the blue, a ‘gate-upgrade’ usually on an extremely busy flight & when travelling alone. 

 

You will also get offered an upgrade a few days in adavance of your for a nominal fee (about 14,000b per leg - BKK-DXB Or DXB-UK legs). 

 

I also had a Thai Gold card, never ‘really upgraded’ and only ever got upgraded once when travelling with Thai friends (a TG Pilot and a couple of FA’s when returning from a Dive trip in Phuket) - which wasn’t really an upgrade but just the crew sticking their mates upfront.

 

I was once upgraded from

Business to First with Etihad, that was lovely... but it was only because a dual service plane was swapped out for a triple service layout and they had to ‘bump up’ a couple of business passengers.... locked into my own ‘cocoon’ I didn’t speak to my wife the until after landing ! 

[rimmae2]

With Thai apart from Type of Card you hold it depends on the route, day and time of travel, booking class and probably one or more other things. I have been doing a popular route (as well as many other routes) every couple of weeks for almost two years. On the popular route I have been upgraded more than 50% of the time. I help to improve my chances by purchasing a ticket with a more expensive booking class. It may help that I have been travelling this route for the last ten years on Thai, albeit with less frequency and the check in and other ground staff at the destination know me very well, but probably not.  Also I was previously a Platinum Card holder, but this probably counts for nothing now.

 

I have never asked for an upgrade and politely wait for it to be given either at check in or the gate.

 

With Emirates again I always purchased a ticket with a more expensive booking class,as I was never sure how many days I would stay at destination. 1st received an upgrade at the gate when blue and then I would guess on 25% of flights between Bangkok/Sth Asia and various destinations in Africa as Gold or Platinum.

 

 

[sharktooth]

They are all very eager to sign you up. Try and use your miles and it’s excuses, excuses, excuses. I don’t bother anymore.

[cornishcarlos]

I just booked with Emirates. If booking Economy, upgrade to business would be 68,000 miles. Whereas, booking Economy Flex would only be 52,000 miles to upgrade. Coincidentally, I have 67,000 miles available !!! Anyway, just thought I'd check prior to booking the more expensive class ticket. Sure enough, no upgrade seats available on that flight ????????

I wrote them a lovely letter of complaint but still booked the economy ticket as I like Emirates..  

[p414]

On 12/29/2018 at 8:47 AM, Benroon said:

The upgrade world has changed a lot over the last decade, most airlines now have a fixed price upgrade cost (to protect the premium brand) and won't discount it by a penny. Long gone are the days when you turned up in your new Pringle sweater and a cheeky smile hoping to get upgraded. 

 

I haven't found an air miles alliance that's worth being loyal. Once they separated the taxes as you state which can frequently make up well over 50% of the fare, the bit you're saving can often be surpassed by simply sourcing cheaper flights.

 

I stayed loyal to EVA (about 5 return premium economy trips LHR BKK) would get you a business class upgrade, this was when they were the cheapest 99% of the time (sadly their fares have rocketed to compete with Thai now). But when I looked at the cost of the 5 return flights, I could have paid for the business class flight from the monies I had saved by booking 5 cheaper airlines than EVA for the 5 qualifying trips with cash left over.

 

Subsequently I search for the cheapest flight in whatever class - if it happens to be with an alliance I am a member of fair enough - but when it comes to flights IMHO loyalty does not pay for anyone except extremely regular fliers. My 3 or 4 LHR/BKK return flights a year doesn't cut it. (Star Alliance)

Eva is crap now..Used them for 6 years [london BKK]..not any more.

 

[gjoo888]

Airlines upgrade their frequent flyers with the most miles first. Some years back, I used to fly between Asia and the US 6-7 times a year for many years, and was lucky enough to have a fairly high standing with Cathay Pacific. Almost every time I flew, I was upgraded for at least one leg of the trips I took. It got to the point where I was quite disappointed when I didn't get upgraded. My frequent flyer status also awarded me double miles for every flight I paid for, which in turn, allowed me to get award travel business class flights after every three economy class round-trip flights I paid for.

 

Things are much different these days, less miles received for some flights, much higher miles needed to upgrade or receive award travel, etc.. It pretty much depends on your frequent flyer status and availability, and passengers willing to pay or use miles will also have priority. Even without an upgrade, if your elite status allows priority check-in, priority baggage handling, lounge access, etc., it's better than nothing. 

[toolpush]

On 12/29/2018 at 7:25 PM, sharktooth said:

They are all very eager to sign you up. Try and use your miles and it’s excuses, excuses, excuses. I don’t bother anymore.

I just sell my miles, penny a point

[geriatrickid]

The comments on this thread are those of  infrequent flyers. The intent of FF programs is to provide some additional benefits to customers who are actual frequent flyers. Most of the quality airlines are moving to revenue based qualifications. For example in *A, some airlines highest status  customers are required to spend more than 400,000 baht per year with 100,000 miles flown as a minimum.  Stop assuming that a few flights in  discounted economy somehow make  a desirable customer. Airlines make their profits on the premium cabins, not on discounted Y fares.

The quality airlines now understand that upgrading  Y customers into business cheapens the business class product and annoys the customers who paid the  higher fares. The intent is to keep the upgrades for the highest status customers. That's why an EVA Diamond status holder can obtain a confirmed seat anytime. The better rated airlines like CX, BR, NH don't easily upgrade marginal status customers. Despite being a member of *A, other *A pax  find it next to impossible to get an F award or upgrade on SQ if not an SQ FF customer.  Many of the premium class airlines don't release F reward seats until 14 days prior to departure and this has a trickle down impact upon the  J class upgrades.  

 

Low quality carriers like United, Air India, EgyptAir, Gulf, Pakistan International etc., are easier to upgrade on because quality customers pay more and fly the better airlines, so that the  business class with its  crap menus and service levels  have little value. Emirates still has some decent inflight quality, but its ground services and lounges  when connecting on many routes are no longer considered desirable.However, Emirates takes care of its premium <deleted> so they  can get an upgrade. I saw an interesting summary of the impact with Air Canada: In its business class cabin, almost all of its longhaul upgrades went to Super Elites, who flew 100,000 miles or more in a year and spent in excess of C$20,000  per annum, with the million milers (more than 1 million flown on the airline metal) getting the most upgrades.

I am a lowly *A Gold and something Medallion on  Delta/Skymiles and have not been able to  use over 600,000 in accumulated  miles, or obtain an upgrade on my  flights. 

[bprinceuk]

When I was a Gold card member with Emirates, I had regular upgrades to Business class. One time when I booked Business I was also upgraded to First Class. As has already been mentioned, these upgrades happened at the gate.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

On 12/29/2018 at 4:00 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Emirates will upgrade you once or twice per year out of the blue, a ‘gate-upgrade’ usually on an extremely busy flight & when travelling alone. 

 

You will also get offered an upgrade a few days in adavance of your for a nominal fee (about 14,000b per leg - BKK-DXB Or DXB-UK legs). 

 

I also had a Thai Gold card, never ‘really upgraded’ and only ever got upgraded once when travelling with Thai friends (a TG Pilot and a couple of FA’s when returning from a Dive trip in Phuket) - which wasn’t really an upgrade but just the crew sticking their mates upfront.

 

I was once upgraded from

Business to First with Etihad, that was lovely... but it was only because a dual service plane was swapped out for a triple service layout and they had to ‘bump up’ a couple of business passengers.... locked into my own ‘cocoon’ I didn’t speak to my wife the until after landing ! 

Unless you are a very frequent flyer on one particular airline or group, I doubt the worth of these programmes. All I ever seemed to do was sign up, collect the card, receive a statement of some uselessly low number of points every few months and hold the points till they expired, unused.

As for the 14k Baht upgrade, I guess one man's 'nominal fee' is another man's total fare.

[DJ54]

I’m One World Started with AA American Airlines 1,500,000+ miles.

i don’t travel for business much anymore so not enough miles to buy a hamburger.

 

I did Gold status for life for going over a million miles. Is traveling Intl with a One World member you to use lounge at airports which 

nice so you can work or just relax. I’ve noticed the last couple years in Business Class area of lounges are standing room early. 

 

I was AA and when flew US to usually Hong Kong or China trying 

to make sure it was an AA flight which most the time was on Cathay Pacific and upgraded from economy 90% of the time. 

 

American Airlines bless their hearts their trying. But need to 

improve on Int’l flights. Once when I had to take AA flight 

LAX to Shanghai I asked for red wine for dinner and they told 

me the price what ever it was money wasn’t the point.

 

i said not a problem I will pay but for reference any flights 

I’ve taken Int’l except AA never paid for any alcohol. They

came back later and said yiu don’t need to pay.

 

Once I got a little angry well a lot. A friend asked me to pick up

a bottle of what/was fairly expensive whisky from duty free.

bought it straight across from the gates. Loading I’m told you

can’t take that on this flight not allowed. I politely said then why

don’t you tell those folks at Duty free shop just across the aisle

i understand a rule is a rule.

 

Asked for the AA Manager. After a discussion she said OK we will check it with our bags and give to you as you disembark. 

 

Last story for the day, Boarding Shanghai to LAX bought a water

a few step from gate, They check all carey on water unopened.

air yiu need to throw that out,,,, it’s unopen and I bought it there

and it was like $5 USD. Sorry Sir drink before you board or 

throw it out. 

 

Had my hands full I said I’ll throw it out but I’ve my hand 

a full why don’t yiu reach in my pants get my wallet and take 

some money the same difference.... and then here came the attitude...

 

The airport in Taichung you can carry water water on board BUT 

do not stand up after landing unroll being told to.... 

 

As my oldest sister of 70says I’ve lived a colorful life..

 

Happy New Year! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LALes]

I am a lowly Silver Medallion status on Delta but I got upgraded both ways between LAX and HNL last year on a ticket purchased totally with miles.  I was automatically upgraded from  coach to "comfort", their premium economy (which is no big deal) on the way to Hawaii.  On the return, I first got upgraded to "Comfort" and then to First Class after I was already seated in Comfort, all of this without a peep from me.

As for China Airlines, which I use regularly between BKK and LAX, I have never reached any status and have never been offered a free upgrade in over 10 years.  Their miles expire after 3 years which explains why its so hard to reach any status and now  I just tell them at the check in desk to put the miles in my Delta account.

[Bangkok Barry]

On 12/29/2018 at 4:00 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Emirates will upgrade you once or twice per year out of the blue, a ‘gate-upgrade’ usually on an extremely busy flight & when travelling alone. 

 

You will also get offered an upgrade a few days in adavance of your for a nominal fee (about 14,000b per leg - BKK-DXB Or DXB-UK legs). 

 

I also had a Thai Gold card, never ‘really upgraded’ and only ever got upgraded once when travelling with Thai friends (a TG Pilot and a couple of FA’s when returning from a Dive trip in Phuket) - which wasn’t really an upgrade but just the crew sticking their mates upfront.

 

I once found an upgrade from Economy to Business on Emirates for just 200 baht DXB-BKK a few days before the flight. Said on the website Special Fare. They weren't kidding!

I also used to be a Thai Gold Card member and cashed in some miles to take my wife to London, and on the return they upgraded us to Business - on free tickets!

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, gjoo888 said:

Airlines upgrade their frequent flyers with the most miles first. Some years back, I used to fly between Asia and the US 6-7 times a year for many years, and was lucky enough to have a fairly high standing with Cathay Pacific. Almost every time I flew, I was upgraded for at least one leg of the trips I took. It got to the point where I was quite disappointed when I didn't get upgraded. My frequent flyer status also awarded me double miles for every flight I paid for, which in turn, allowed me to get award travel business class flights after every three economy class round-trip flights I paid for.

 

Things are much different these days, less miles received for some flights, much higher miles needed to upgrade or receive award travel, etc.. It pretty much depends on your frequent flyer status and availability, and passengers willing to pay or use miles will also have priority. Even without an upgrade, if your elite status allows priority check-in, priority baggage handling, lounge access, etc., it's better than nothing. 

It seems that many airlines now don't focus strongly on frequent flyer memberships / miles etc.

 

About 2 years back in an MBA marketing course I gave the teams a project to research and profile a new picture of this subject for at least 10 airlines.

 

In short, the students found that airlines put less effort and way less cost into the FF clubs compared to 10 years earlier, and in most cases the airlines (who responded) said:

 

- It's no longer worth it (for the airline). The airlines own research shows that large numbers of FF club members select an airline for their next flight by using sites like tripadvisor / agoda, etc., etc., and those flyers often find very cheap flights which are better financially compared to playing with FF membership miles. Some airlines also responded that it was costing way to much to try to keep ahead of other FF clubs in terms of free food / drinks etc., at airport lounges. In other words for the airlines it was no longer worth the effort or the cost so they let their FF clubs dwindle.

 

- Some of the airlines had reduced who is eligible for free / discounted flights (in terms of family members etc.) My own experience with Thai confirms this, I went through hell to get my fully legally adopted Thai son (adopted in Thailand, scans of all the adoption documents, including the approval letter from the ministry, sent to Thai) recognized as a family member. Further, at that time I flew Thai at least twice a week from Bkk to s'pore, HK, Jakarta, Shanghai etc., and I had a very large FF miles count

 

And the 1 time I applied for a free ticket for him (BKK to Singapore and return, when he was a student) re-opened the discussion about accepting him as a legitimate family member. And even more questions. I dropped the application for a free ticket and we discovered a real cheap ticket on the required date on AirAsia. From there my son watched AA flights like a hawk for big promotions and in most cases he flew home and return to school for tiny fares. 

 

 

[milwaukeeboy]

On my last trip to Cebu, I bid the minimum ($250) for an upgrade to business class one way on Philippine Airlines. I won the bid and was sorely disappointed. A slightly bigger seat and 3 flight attendants fawning over me for 3.5 hours didn't make the extra money worth it. I don't know if I'd even be tempted to bid for a business upgrade on future flights if it were only $100 more. I can afford it. But I feel a little bit ripped off if I'm not getting bang for my buck.

[superal]

4 hours ago, p414 said:

Eva is crap now..Used them for 6 years [london BKK]..not any more.

 

Heathrow to Bangkok , Eva Air , me and my 40 year old son travelling together at the check in desk . My son was told of an upgrade from economy to premium , thinking it was for both of us  but no only him . So Eva split us up to make room for the full economy . There were other vacant seats in premium and they could easily have arranged a double upgrade for us to be together . They were not concerned about their customers and would not listen to my complaint .

[natway09]

Grovel !!!!!!

[KhaoYai]

I can only comment on Etihad. Most if not all airlines 'overbook' flights to compensate for 'no shows' which I'm told are often 10%. Occasionally they get caught out by this when more passengers show up than there are seats for. If they have space in business class they can cope with some of the 'overspill' by upgrading passengers to that level.  Etihad Guest (loyalty programme) members are given priority for such upgrades according to their level - Silver, Gold or Platinum with Platinum getting first divs and so on.

 

Although I've tried for a 'cheeky' (asked) upgrade many times, I've only ever got one for the reasons above.  Apparently you are more likely to get such an upgrade if you turn up as late as is possible at the gate.  I wouldn't risk that though as I think you are also most likely to get 'bumped off' that way.

 

A different thing but KLM used to get caught out regularly by overbooking and would actually walk around the plane whilst on the tarmac offering people incentives to get off again. Twice I was given 200 Euros, a free hotel for the night (including taxis) and a guaranteed seat on the next flight and my return flight changed without charge. For me as a solo traveller with no reason to stick to my dates it was a nice bonus and gave me a night out in Amsterdam.  I don't know if they still do that as I haven't flown with them for years due to them being uncompetetive.

[Kinnock]

Thai Air gold card holder for over 10 years - never offered an upgrade.  Half my flights are Business anyway, but still never offered once on the other flights.

 

Thai Airways business class always full of Thai Government employees - so no room for other passengers to be upgraded.

 

Also have never managed to use my points.  "Sorry sir, only outbound leg available when using points".  The points just expire as they make it too difficult to use them.

 

Many of my Star Alliance points from travelling Eva - but their aircraft are older than me, so look for alternatives now.  

[KhaoYai]

8 hours ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

Unless you are a very frequent flyer on one particular airline or group, I doubt the worth of these programmes. All I ever seemed to do was sign up, collect the card, receive a statement of some uselessly low number of points every few months and hold the points till they expired, unused.

As for the 14k Baht upgrade, I guess one man's 'nominal fee' is another man's total fare.

The biggest plus for me of being an Etihad gold member is the ability to use the business class lounges - totally transformed my flying experience.  Also, being able to use business class check in and fastrack security and immigration saves a lot of queueing.

[Taggart]

When I flew to Thailand I paid for premium economy.  After I return to Canada soon, I figure if I want an upgrade from this, I'll have to work a little for it.  I'm going to attempt to churn a few credit cards.  Perhaps in a couple of years my wife and I will have enough points to fly in business class next long flight.

[superal]

21 hours ago, p414 said:

Eva is crap now..Used them for 6 years [london BKK]..not any more.

 

Eva used to set the " bench mark " so what has gone wrong apart from their old aircraft ?

BTW I was a fairly frequent flier with them but their arrival times in Bangkok , 1500 hrs ish , were not the best for me and so I changed to flights that arrived early a.m. which enable me to get to DM and onward domestic flights .