Points/Bid/Platinum upgrade to/from Bali

[ben95]

hey AFF brain trust, looking at a trip to Bali for 2 next year and it looks like for the dates that work for me I can only secure 1x upgrade now based on business rewards availability on the way back so I’m considering to just lock this in now.

Just wondering if the seats for remain unsold prior to departure is it likely VA will release them for upgrade so I can snatch another with the voucher? Preferably I can burn my platinum upgrade voucher but also happy to burn points or do the cash bid if those provider higher chance of success.

 

[Steven of Bali]

hey AFF brain trust, looking at a trip to Bali for 2 next year and it looks like for the dates that work for me I can only secure 1x upgrade now based on business rewards availability on the way back so I’m considering to just lock this in now.

Just wondering if the seats for remain unsold prior to departure is it likely VA will release them for upgrade so I can snatch another with the voucher? Preferably I can burn my platinum upgrade voucher but also happy to burn points or do the cash bid if those provider higher chance of success.

Don't forget the platinum voucher needs to be used with a Flex. I am waiting for the release in two weeks myself.

 

[ben95]

I am waiting for the release in two weeks m

Keen to hear whether VA ends up releasing more before departure for you

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Keen to hear whether VA ends up releasing more before departure for you

I get the sense - from my own searching - that the business cabin is pretty full. And months out at that.

You may get lucky, but any seats unsold will be available for upgrades. I just think they are few and far between.

Maybe secure 1 seat in business each way and one in Economy X and do one way each?

 

[Steven of Bali]

I get the sense - from my own searching - that the business cabin is pretty full. And months out at that.

You may get lucky, but any seats unsold will be available for upgrades. I just think they are few and far between.

Maybe secure 1 seat in business each way and one in Economy X and do one way each?

That's what I have found and exactly what I did. Still for a J seat to appear DPS to MEL on the 28th. Will update. Then, of course, there is the 'staff travel' that has thwarted me in the past for an upgrade, when it shouldn't, going by the rules.

 

[PERLHR]

This is actually news to me. In theory what I am seeing is that you can actually "try" and use Platinum upgrade vouchers on short haul international? (Provided booked in flex?). I'm sure when I read the blurb going ex Perth you can't even choose BNE as a destination but seemed to be restricted to ADL MEL or SYD. Maybe I am wrong and need to look again. Not that Bali would be a choice ex PER as VA kind of screwed up that proposal some time back!!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This is actually news to me. In theory what I am seeing is that you can actually "try" and use Platinum upgrade vouchers on short haul international? (Provided booked in flex?). I'm sure when I read the blurb going ex Perth you can't even choose BNE as a destination but seemed to be restricted to ADL MEL or SYD. Maybe I am wrong and need to look again. Not that Bali would be a choice ex PER as VA kind of screwed up that proposal some time back!!

Yes! upgrade vouchers can be used to short haul… probably the best value… buy flex to bali for $600 each way and get business which sells for $1200 each way. Gotta find the seats though.

That’s been around since at least 2022 when I started flying VA.

Perhaps you’re thinking of the free flight vouchers? that came with a credit card? Those limited transcons ex Perth IIRC.

 

[jase05]

Yes! upgrade vouchers can be used to short haul… probably the best value… buy flex to bali for $600 each way and get business which sells for $1200 each way. Gotta find the seats though.

That’s been around since at least 2022 when I started flying VA.

Perhaps you’re thinking of the free flight vouchers? that came with a credit card? Those limited transcons ex Perth IIRC.

SHI Platinum upgrades have been around for a while.
We flew ADL-DPS on the Platinum upgrades several times back in the day

 

[Steven of Bali]

This is actually news to me. In theory what I am seeing is that you can actually "try" and use Platinum upgrade vouchers on short haul international? (Provided booked in flex?). I'm sure when I read the blurb going ex Perth you can't even choose BNE as a destination but seemed to be restricted to ADL MEL or SYD. Maybe I am wrong and need to look again. Not that Bali would be a choice ex PER as VA kind of screwed up that proposal some time back!!

I am travelling using the 'voucher' on Thursday - J MEL/DPS

 

[PERLHR]

Does that mean in theory....the PER -DOH flight "should" also qualify? VA flight number one? I need to read more in these forums!

 

[jase05]

Does that mean in theory....the PER -DOH flight "should" also qualify? VA flight number one? I need to read more in these forums!

No SHI only.

 

[ben95]

You may get lucky, but any seats unsold will be available for upgrades. I just think they are few and far between.

Think you are right. Definitely does not seem like VA ever releases J rewards seat on the AM Australia departures (which is the one I booked). You can usually find 1x on the PM one though.

I was able to confirm the 2x upgrades on the way back on the overnight flight which is excellent. I only saw one J rewards seat available on the flight from the website but the agent said there was 2 - wasn’t going to argue with that .

 

[Steven of Bali]

hey AFF brain trust, looking at a trip to Bali for 2 next year and it looks like for the dates that work for me I can only secure 1x upgrade now based on business rewards availability on the way back so I’m considering to just lock this in now.

Just wondering if the seats for remain unsold prior to departure is it likely VA will release them for upgrade so I can snatch another with the voucher? Preferably I can burn my platinum upgrade voucher but also happy to burn points or do the cash bid if those provider higher chance of success.

Will advise next week when I do exactly the same. I managed one up but no reward tickets showing coming back. I think they allocate on: 1. Staff travel (not allowed but happens - did to me) 2. Bid upgrade 3. Everyone else and the cabin is full by then. Yet to see an empty J seat coming back - I come and go a fair bit. Of course, paying customers are actually #1.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Will advise next week when I do exactly the same. I managed one up but no reward tickets showing coming back. I think they allocate on: 1. Staff travel (not allowed but happens - did to me) 2. Bid upgrade 3. Everyone else and the cabin is full by then. Yet to see an empty J seat coming back - I come and go a fair bit. Of course, paying customers are actually #1.

Staff absolutely do NOT take seats that have been designated for commercial sale or use.

The empty seat you saw could have been available for commercial sale to a full fare paying passenger, but not available for upgrade.

 

[ben95]

The empty seat you saw could have been available for commercial sale to a full fare paying passenger, but not available for upgrade.

If there’s available J seat unsold before departure what’s the order in which they are allocated?

Presumably they’d first go towards cash bid first, but what about points upgrade? Does that sit in a separate bucket to the reward seat which the platinum upgrade also draw from?

 

[markis10]

The empty seat you saw could have been available for commercial sale to a full fare paying passenger, but not available for upgrade.

Could have been sold to someone who had too many bintangs on the day and fell asleep

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If there’s available J seat unsold before departure what’s the order in which they are allocated?

Presumably they’d first go towards cash bid first, but what about points upgrade? Does that sit in a separate bucket to the reward seat which the platinum upgrade also draw from?

I don’t know the order of upgrades, but they first have to designate that seat as one ‘available’ for upgrade.

Presumably they don’t want to end up like the USA of old where buying a domestic first class seat wasn’t necessary because you were likely gonna get upgraded for free.

But certainly if the seat had been designated for upgrade, it would NOT have been given to staff as mentioned above. It would have gone to whomever was next on the list.

 

[Steven of Bali]

Staff absolutely do NOT take seats that have been designated for commercial sale or use.

The empty seat you saw could have been available for commercial sale to a full fare paying passenger, but not available for upgrade.

That is completely incorrect. The onboard crew told me it was staff.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

That is completely incorrect. The onboard crew told me it was staff.

That’s right. The seat may have gone to a staff member. But it means that seat was never designated as a seat they were willing to give to a passenger for the purpose of upgrading.

To look at it another way, if the staff member had not been travelling at all, the seat would have gone out empty.

It’s not a case of a passenger missing out to the staff member. A passenger was never going to get it unless they rocked up last minute and paid the full asking price.

From a purely revenue perspective, the most profitable airline would rather leave some seats unsold in their premium cabins than guarantee every seat is an upgrade seat. Over time, it means they get more people paying the asking price instead of relying on an upgrade.

 

[Steven of Bali]

That’s right. The seat may have gone to a staff member. But it means that seat was never designated as a seat they were willing to give to a passenger for the purpose of upgrading.

To look at it another way, if the staff member had not been travelling at all, the seat would have gone out empty.

It’s not a case of a passenger missing out to the staff member. A passenger was never going to get it unless they rocked up last minute and paid the full asking price.

From a purely revenue perspective, the most profitable airline would rather leave some seats unsold in their premium cabins than guarantee every seat is an upgrade seat. Over time, it means they get more people paying the asking price instead of relying on an upgrade.

As much as it is nice for you to lecture me and the other readers, I was on the ground there, know what I was told by the staff at check-in and then what evolved at the gate and on board. This was an empty seat, which VA had advised me would be available pending no sale. The staff absolutely confirmed that this was not staff repositioning, it was just a staff member returning from holiday. No further correspondence thank you.