Jetstar BidCash Business Class upgrades

[MEL_Traveller]

Intermediate update and question:
Flight is tomorrow.
Jetstar website suddenly showing 4 business class seats for sale (yesterday and prior, it was showing none)
Email received for online checkin but when I completed the checkin form, it said they cant check me in.
Signs to be hopeful?

Possibly there may be seats in business to upgrade to at the airport.

But the ‘can’t check you in’ doesn’t indicate anything, other than they likely want to check documents at the airport.

 

[jokes128]

Signs to be hopeful?

Not an attempt to keep your hopes up but here was my experience.

Flew BNE-KIX on Jetstar in June. Internet check-in declined our family of 4 to check-in with the same wordings as what you got when checking in. So went to airport early and check-in agent said "there were no seats for you that's why you can't check in. Let me speak to my supervisor". Few minutes later check-in agent came back with 4 business class boarding passes.

However, at that time I believe Jetstar had finished the plane upgrade so the plane had fewer Y seats but more J seats. So they had to move someone from Y to J. That flight, J class was full so I don't know how many of them were upgraded like us.

Another data point is I believe we bought the cheapest tickets out of the entire flight(the return for free promotion almost a year before departure, so it was like $1400 return for our 4 tickets without food/seat selections and only 20-40kg baggages between us) on that flight(so they didn't only upgrade someone who paid for flex tickets). I suspect the system probably just kicked the cheapest paying passengers(us) out when it realised there were not enough Y seats but then the check-in agent manually put us in J(even though Jetstar J is nothing to write home about but at least we got to sit together and the free meals/drinks).

 

[henrus]

Flew BNE-KIX on Jetstar in June. Internet check-in declined our family of 4 to check-in with the same wordings as what you got when checking in.

Had you pre selected seats?

 

[jokes128]

Had you pre selected seats?

4 tickets without food/seat selections

No, didn't pay for seat selections so couldn't pre-select seats.

 

[airstriker]

No, didn't pay for seat selections so couldn't pre-select seats.

Thanks mate.
I also booked this ticket on return for free promo but also purchased seat selection ($800 for 2ppl with seat select and check in baggages) which I can see under manage my booking.
I tried checking in again and the website again states 'We can't check you in at the moment'
Still no word of upgrade but I think it's slightly different to your circumstances as according to the Jetstar website, it still seems like there are many economy seats for sale.

 

[jokes128]

@airstriker Couple more things to share.
1. For my flight, a day before check-in opened, there was no Y seat that could be pre-selected(ie. flight was full for Y). So a bit different to your circumstances.
2. I rang Jetstar and asked what had happened and was told "you need to go to airport and see a staff member to check your documents".
3. The check-in lady initially hesitated after she said there were no seats for us. I was about to ask if they would put us on Qantas instead(whether direct or via SYD/MEL). But before I asked she told me she would speak to her supervisor.

As we were worried about the prospect of not making the flight(as I knew the Y class was full for the flight), having already booked hotel and also Shinkansen tickets/seats, we arrived at airport about 15 minutes before the 3 hours check-in time. They were checking in for the NRT flight(departing about 1 hour before us) and they made us wait until the 3 hours pre-departure mark before they would look at our issue. So my suggestion for you is to arrive the check-in counter at 3 hours departure.

Hope luck is on your side for the upgrade.