Free Upgrading ? (discussion)

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Re: Cheap Upgrading

icemann said:
This is from the thaiarways.com.au site. Is there any hope of OW alliance carriers doing the same thing ? I would certainly pay a modest fee for a business class airfare upgrade a few weeks prior to the flight, rather than a few thousand.


Doubt it, J is usually filled up with paying pax, so why bother? Thai clearly can't sell their J seats at full price, so they slash the cost to put bums on seats. You can witness the long-term effect of such policies by checking out the latest P&L from United.
 
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True. But, if a plane is flying half full, and the airlines know that it will be flying so, it is in the economic interests of the airline (read :- business) to slash the seat prices to at least try to get people to get onto those seats, instead of either giving them away as an upgrade, or letting them go empty on a flight.

(guess that's where lastminute.com and orbitz.com came in) - Question for anyone, what are they like (or Qantas last minute deals) for getting cheap business / first seats ? I've never used them to book any seat, so I can't comment, but would welcome feedback.
 
icemann said:
True. But, if a plane is flying half full, and the airlines know that it will be flying so, it is in the economic interests of the airline (read :- business) to slash the seat prices to at least try to get people to get onto those seats, instead of either giving them away as an upgrade, or letting them go empty on a flight.


No, it's not. Short term gain that will give you long term pain - this is precisely why "standby rates" are a thing of the past. If people know that a day before the flight there will be cheap J fares available, they will put off booking until a day before the flight. Your advance bookings will go down, and yield management will become a total coughfight. Once again, I refer you to United's balance sheet.
 
Of course people won't know how many seats on the airline will be empty. No one knows that until right before the flight because there's always people who are 'no shows', even if the flight is fully booked. It's a dynamic situation.

My point is - if you had J seats on an airline that you knew 100 % were not going to be filled on one day, why not try and make a profit off some of them , instead of letting them go empty ? The plane still has to fly, regardless of how many people are on it, which still costs money.
 
icemann said:
Of course people won't know how many seats on the airline will be empty. No one knows that until right before the flight because there's always people who are 'no shows', even if the flight is fully booked. It's a dynamic situation.

My point is - if you had J seats on an airline that you knew 100 % were not going to be filled on one day, why not try and make a profit off some of them , instead of letting them go empty ? The plane still has to fly, regardless of how many people are on it, which still costs money.

Because then they won't sell the seats that they otherwise would have sold.

What would you rather do? Sell 20 seats at $2000 and let 20 seats go empty, for total revenue of $40K, or sell 5 seats at $2000 and let the other 35 seats go to upgraders at $500 a pop, for total revenue of $27,500?

Dave
 
I recently got an upgrade to Business Class on a flight from Mel to Syd without even asking for an upgrade.

How did I do it? Well I went to the airport earlier than expected and as I have no luggage to check in, asked politely if I can be paced on stand by. Well as one flight left, I asked again a little later for the next one, they said take a seat and we will see what we can do. 15 mins before the flight was due to take off, I was called out and I got an earlier flight with a free upgrade to Business class.

I was travelling on a group ticket for work and the flight was at 8.00pm.

:p
 
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wleong said:
I recently got an upgrade to Business Class on a flight from Mel to Syd without even asking for an upgrade.

How did I do it? Well I went to the airport earlier than expected and as I have no luggage to check in, asked politely if I can be paced on stand by. Well as one flight left, I asked again a little later for the next one, they said take a seat and we will see what we can do. 15 mins before the flight was due to take off, I was called out and I got an earlier flight with a free upgrade to Business class.

I was travelling on a group ticket for work and the flight was at 8.00pm.

:p

So, let me get this right (and iron out my own confusion) - you flew earlier than you were meant to be travelling with the rest of your group ?

Just asking. I misunderstood the post.
 
Yes. I was originally booked on the 8.30pm flight and got on the 8.00pm flight home (Mel to Syd).
 
Depends on Travel Agent ?

So, since the airline know which class you have bought and how much you paid for your ticket, can they also know which travel agent you got it
through ?

If so, is there any discrimination / preference for people to be upgraded who buy it through, say Flight Centre instead of HWT or AMEX or Thomas Cook ? - or does it rest purely on status ?

I have heard talk that it can rest on where you go - I know someone who goes through one travel agent who are specialists in corporate customers. He has witnessed other equal level flyers / company ranks out of the same company (different depts.) go and book their flights a cheaper way (sometimes with other carriers), but sometimes, they have a few 'problems', like their luggage goes astray etc.

BTW, if I have to go somewhere at the drop of a hat, and I rock up at the airport with cash and ask for the first flight to wherever it is that I need to go, how much are we looking at for a business fare - cheaper or more expensive than if I book in advance ? Does it matter on how full / empty the plane is ?
 
Re: Depends on Travel Agent ?

icemann said:
So, since the airline know which class you have bought and how much you paid for your ticket, can they also know which travel agent you got it
through ?


Yes, but that doesn't make a lick of difference to your upgrade chances. Op upgrades will be made PURELY on status with QF, and pretty much all other airlines. Forget the mindless conspiracy theories about "missing luggage", etc being somehow correlated with cheap-cough fares, it just doesn't work that way.
 
In my experience the only way to increase your chances of a free upgrade is to book a flight on a flight that is already well and truly overbooked in economy. Usually this means you must be a Platinum and invoke your right to book a Y class seat on any Qantas jet service. If they are full up the back they go though and allocate any empty class seats to higher tiers.
 
Correct about the Plat issue...I was almost having to invoke that getting back from ADL yesterday, but an H seat opened up on earlier flight (via MEL) so I took it [not that it made any difference in SC's, but a little more FF points 8) albeit a little more time-wise]
 
Hey, has anyone heard the news today ?

My source was Sunrise on 7 this morning (30/10/03) and apparently, it has been alleged from a leaked email that the Governor of Tasmania, Mr. Richard Butler was a bit naughty...

http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,7710306%5E921,00.html

No one else, SMH, Age, etc. has covered it, except the Tassie Mercury ! This was the funniest thing I saw all morning. :D I sat there and burst out laughing into my cornflakes this morning.

Just for the record, someone else tried the same thing, and was causing a bit of a scene too in an American airport. He became rather angry, demanded an upgrade and said "But, do you not KNOW just WHO I AM ?!".

To which, the gate agent said over the PA "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a passenger here who does not know who he is. Can anyone please help ?"

:D

(and if I don't get one, I'll scweam and scweam and scweam). You spoiled little get, Dicky. You are an embarrassment to us all. :oops:
 
icemann said:
Hey, has anyone heard the news today ?

My source was Sunrise on 7 this morning (30/10/03) and apparently, it has been alleged from a leaked email that the Governor of Tasmania, Mr. Richard Butler was a bit naughty...

http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,7710306%5E921,00.html

No one else, SMH, Age, etc. has covered it, except the Tassie Mercury ! This was the funniest thing I saw all morning. :D I sat there and burst out laughing into my cornflakes this morning.

Just for the record, someone else tried the same thing, and was causing a bit of a scene too in an American airport. He became rather angry, demanded an upgrade and said "But, do you not KNOW just WHO I AM ?!".

To which, the gate agent said over the PA "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a passenger here who does not know who he is. Can anyone please help ?"

:D

(and if I don't get one, I'll scweam and scweam and scweam). You spoiled little get, Dicky. You are an embarrassment to us all. :oops:

I had a good chuckle about it too. The good little socialist Dicky Butler has changed his tune very quickly after putting his bottom on vice-regal leather :roll: . His tantrums in Sydney and Singapore reminded of that American story too, icemann.

If he wanted to fly Business Class or First Class, he should have done what the rest of us do - either pay for it or use FF points to upgrade or get an award seat.
 
Craigo, I fully agree. :D

If people want a J seat for certain, either pay for it yourself (or through the company / taxpayer in Dicky's case), use FF points or just be lucky enough to be upgraded to it and be thankful that you were lucky enough to get an upgrade.

Don't demand it, Dicky. Didn't your parents teach you that 'I want' means 'I don't get'.

He's gone about it completely wrong - why ? He went and bought W class tickets (right down the fare structure) and demanded an upgrade, because the TA had said that he (TA) had requested it and put it on the system.

My TA is good and will do that for me, if I get upgraded - great. If I don't, I don't, and I'm not angry. Dicky probably was relying on the fact he was on his honeymoon too to try and swing it as there's an unwritten rule regarding newlyweds usually getting upgraded / complimentary champagne.

However, complimentary upgrades are a privilege. Not a right.
 
icemann said:
Hey, has anyone heard the news today ?

Precisely what you would expect from an (unwooded) Chardonnay Socialist like cough Butler.

When he's not poncing about on the world stage preaching about how awful weapons are (pity that NBC agents aren't tested on the likes of him), he's soaking up YOUR tax dollars at home.

Pretty pathetic that he finally had to tie the knot with his main squeeze, just to get the keys to the Governer's residence in Hobart. Those Tasmanians might be rife with green tendencies, but folks down there don't have much time for an unmarried man.

Wedding plans announced days after a vice-regal appointment? You do the math.
 
OK, back to the original topic.

I flew on BA last week to Singapore on a WT+ ticket. I accessed the online check-in about 8 hours before the flight and was able to choose my seat. I was happy with the allocation but decided to try for a seat that was already allocated. The system told me that it was unable to process my request and I left it at that.

I arrived at the airport (SYD) and joined the queue in the QF line. When I reached the counter I was told that I had already checked-in but that they could not accommodate me on the seat I requested. I had printed the confirmation for the original seat allocation but was told that there was a request for another seat (yes I know, I asked for it). Anyway, out spat 14D which my math said was a J seat. I was wrong, it was a J bed.

This is probably irrelevant but it seemed to confuse the system somewhat.

My status is Argentum by the way, so the patrician theory does not apply in this case.

BTW, coming back there were about 5 available seats in WT+. I asked at check-in, QF lounge and boarding gate for an upgrade and was unsuccessful. Oh well.
 
Free upgrade

The only time I ever got a free upgaread was ona domestic Syd-Mel flight.

I am only Bronze QF but fly a lot on other international airlines. So not expecting anything especially based on status, But as someone earlier mentioned it was a 747 coming through from Tokyo so i'm sure that makes a difference.

I only asked politely for a window seat and the cehck in woman said there were none available but would move me to the front of the plane where i could have more leg space. I only realised it was business when i boarded to my suprise and delight.

Not bad as the ticket was a red-e-special and cost $60!!

But I would agree these are one in a million as they should be. I am A Qantas shareholder and after all they have a business to run!
 
Free upgrade

The only time I ever got a free upgaread was ona domestic Syd-Mel flight.

I am only Bronze QF but fly a lot on other international airlines. So not expecting anything especially based on status, But as someone earlier mentioned it was a 747 coming through from Tokyo so i'm sure that makes a difference.

I only asked politely for a window seat and the cehck in woman said there were none available but would move me to the front of the plane where i could have more leg space. I only realised it was business when i boarded to my suprise and delight.

Not bad as the ticket was a red-e-special and cost $60!!

But I would agree these are one in a million as they should be. I am A Qantas shareholder and after all they have a business to run!
 
Just came back from a points redemption ticket to HK ex Sydney (50K + taxes). Fly via the overnighter out of Melbourne, and had a row of three seats to myself. Perfectly fine, and quiet.

Checked in a day early in HK, allowing me a great meal in HK before getting on the Airport Express to HKIA. Went to the gate, only to be told that they'd had to change my seat. As I'd been allocated an aisle exit row, I was somewhat fearful of a poorer seat. Very pleased to see that they'd changed my seat to another aisle exit row, only this time, in J upstairs.

More recently, my father had to travel to Europe at short notice, and picked up a return Y seat for around $2200. Used credits to upgrade to Business, which were easy to obtain. All well and good, with no hassles. Ended up getting bumped up to F for the Singapore-Paris run, and getting bumped up to F all the way home from London. Didn't even ask the staff, it just happened.

Any similar stories?
 
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