EK upgrade "Love" on QF / EK coded flights - success rate?

[Princess Fiona]

Are QF WP's supposed to get express passes for arrival in NZ? We did get them on departure at SYD.
We didn't get any or see anyone around us get any and I was regretting it as we waited in a queue for about 30 mins at AKL immigration. We couldn't use the Smart Gates as we had the kids with us.
Overall the EK Alliance was a complete and utter fail today.

 

[mushez]

Are QF WP's supposed to get express passes for arrival in NZ? We did get them on departure at SYD.
We didn't get any or see anyone around us get any and I was regretting it as we waited in a queue for about 30 mins at AKL immigration. We couldn't use the Smart Gates as we had the kids with us.
Overall the EK Alliance was a complete and utter fail today.

Yes and no, I have found Express passes are only given out 10-20% on arrival into Auckland and tend to only work for immigration which is mute if you use smart gate, however I would ask and get at the start of the flight from Australia.

I take the crew channel at customs and never have been challenged, but would flip out my NZ APEC card if challenged.

There is also no express lanes after 6 or 7pm at BNE, so even if they are handed out on the return to Brisbane, which is the same about 10-20% of the time, they are useless - but may be different to MEL or SYD

 

[kreuky]

DXB-SYD, booked in Y. Thought I'd try my luck asking for an upgrade at checkin - denied. Agent said Y and J very oversold. No problems, happy to take the seat I paid for.

At boarding gate, Y to J op up. I really love Emirates. 2/2 Y to J!!! (QF WP)

 

[Pushka]

DXB-SYD, booked in Y. Thought I'd try my luck asking for an upgrade at checkin - denied. Agent said Y and J very oversold. No problems, happy to take the seat I paid for.

At boarding gate, Y to J op up. I really love Emirates. 2/2 Y to J!!! (QF WP)

I haven't seen Emirates authorise op-ups at the gate when asked. I suspect their system has already any possible allocated op-ups before then.

I think emirates love QF WP's a lot. And gold, but a bit less.

 

[greenfish]

I haven't seen Emirates authorise op-ups at the gate when asked. I suspect their system has already any possible allocated op-ups before then.

I think emirates love QF WP's a lot. And gold, but a bit less.

Some QF WPs

 

[kreuky]

I didn't ask at the gate, only at checkin. Had already resigned myself to be in economy for 14hours so it was a nice surprise.

 

[JohnK]

I think emirates love QF WP's a lot. And gold, but a bit less.

This is no different to the Cathay Pacific argument.

Emirates loves some Platinuns. The majority are ignored.

 

[Pushka]

This is no different to the Cathay Pacific argument.

Emirates loves some Platinuns. The majority are ignored.

Another joke! You are on a roll today.

Yes, it would be good to work out why some get upgraded others dont. Adelaide seems a key target as Y is usually crammed due to lack of Q International service here.

 

[hossein_au]

I haven't seen Emirates authorise op-ups at the gate when asked. I suspect their system has already any possible allocated op-ups before then.

Not at the gate, but at F lounge in DXB, I did ask, and I did receive ;-)

 

[papermate92]

Are QF WP's supposed to get express passes for arrival in NZ? We did get them on departure at SYD.
We didn't get any or see anyone around us get any and I was regretting it as we waited in a queue for about 30 mins at AKL immigration. We couldn't use the Smart Gates as we had the kids with us.
Overall the EK Alliance was a complete and utter fail today.

I was handed an express card, sitting in J, on the SYD-CHC but used the smartgate instead. I'm not even sure there were Express facilities in the CHC airport.
SG next to me didn't receive a card or a welcome.

When I previously did MEL-AKL and AKL-MEL in Y there was no express cards handed out on either flight.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I haven't seen Emirates authorise op-ups at the gate when asked. I suspect their system has already any possible allocated op-ups before then.

I guess if you ask in the lounge (& not already in J) they know that you're a status pax.

Adelaide seems a key target as Y is usually crammed due to lack of Q International service here.

Particularly in the past week or so. One sign is when you aren't issued with your onward EK b/pass when your QF dom one to ADL.

 

[mushez]

DXB-SYD, booked in Y. Thought I'd try my luck asking for an upgrade at checkin - denied. Agent said Y and J very oversold. No problems, happy to take the seat I paid for.

At boarding gate, Y to J op up. I really love Emirates. 2/2 Y to J!!! (QF WP)

Very normal as to upgrades, load controller upgrades people or has people in mind to upgrade, but 99% of the time you really don't know until boarding at the gate.

 

[mushez]

Looks like I am on a roll, and finally getting the legs of my Platinum status working - starting to make me think trying to maintain Platinum might be a good idea...........

Forgetting nothing on QF51 - I am now Two from two - looking good three from three today on EK434.........

Just landed off EK432 and was upgraded Saver Y to J. 3 days out was looking like it was oversold, and every seat preallocated to someone 2 days out. Lost my pre-allocated seat (18K) 8 hours prior to departure, with no pre-allocated seat and no seats to select - which has always meant an upgrade.

Got to check in an hour prior to it opening, after a rough night roughing it in SIN with no Airport Hotels available or pre-booked (my bad) - only to find a handful of people showing up early wanting to get checked in also, meet random lady whom I took under my wing to guest her into the lounge - but also because I was 5kg over baggage allowance and she had 5kg to spare so was a sure cover, but normally have never been hassled in SIN for over baggage allowance at check in with EK - but she didn't have a pre-allocated seat either - which I logged in to her booking while waiting and yeah, no pre-allocated seat and no seats open to select, which confirmed prior to check in that it was a given I would be upgraded as they really had oversold.

So at check in, got told I had been upgraded 18K-6B, but that my "friend" hadn't and would have to fly in Economy - not really worried, but there was a lot of messing around in getting seats allocated and she got 38H or something like that - but had my suspicions I had put some upgrade platinum dust over her booking as well with all the messing around, like 20 other PAX had checked in on the counter next to us, while they were sorting out seats for the two of us.

Hit the lounge, and sure enough at gate, my new friends boarding pass beeped - and upgrade to 6A for her.

Looks like they upgraded 19 people from Y to J, not a spare seat left in either Y or J, but all F seats remained unfilled.

Also what was interesting, was they took the meal orders, and seems everyone wanted the beef, so didn't have enough - so came back to us, and others who seemed to be upgrades, to tell us we had to choose one of the other two options because there wasn't enough - which I thought was good, but also interesting.

 

[mushez]

And trifecta, three from three, 81K -> 9K

 

[kreuky]

slightly OT but just got my first op up from Y to J on MH, albeit on a 2 hour domestic flight. That's about 1/6 on MH as QF WP and 0/1000000000 (yes that's exaggerated) on QF int and domestic.

 

[roncritch]

I am booked on J PER-DBX on QF codeshare 8423. I have been following hoping to move up from row 7 to row 6 at T-80. When I looked today on our booking in Qantas, it showed every seat as taken with only 2 J seat available for choice...7F and 11B. I went to Expert flyer and saw that the whole of Row 6 is taken whereby previously was showing "X" as being blocked. But the Expert flyer site also shows several vacant seats like 8AB, and DEF vacant for rows 8-11 inclusive. Does this mean that EK may have already allocated upgrades to the J cabin? Seems very strange ......also went to EK manage booking and also shows only the same 2 J seats available.

Only 1 F seat taken at this stage in Expert Flyer, but maybe they have also allocated the upgrade there? What do you think are our chances?????

(Boy I wish we could upgrade with points to F on Emirates with our Qantas points)

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Upgraded SIN-BNE on EK this week.
Now officially had same number of upgrades on EK in 1 year with a handful of flights as I've had on QF in 4 years as P1/Plat with 30x more flights

Customer poaching? It's real!

 

[Pushka]

Customer poaching? It's real!

And it works. I now look for EK metal.

 

[JohnK]

Customer poaching? It's real!

Or simple luck?

 

[Pushka]

Or simple luck?

Ok. The more I fly with Emirates the luckier I get.