The Operational Upgrade Thread

[markis10]

6th Op-Up this calendar year (5 domestic + 1 international).

I booked myself from SYD-AKL via MEL (QF49 is sold out!) on Sunday and to my surprise I was allocated seat 1C on the MEL-AKL leg (QF 133).

Not surprising given QF133 is sold out of all discount Y fares, they are selling J as Y.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Mr Timtammi and I are flying QF93 July 10. Booked on same PNR in discount Y. I was automatically allocated in Zone D (PE seating but shows as Economy on seat map, all other seats showed as blocked). Mr Timtammi was allocated way back in 50 something. We are both SG. Rang QF and got him reallocated with me in row 39.

Remains to be seen where we actually fly.

Where did you fly???

 

[Anna]

I requested a points upgrade on QF82 recently, but got an op-up instead.

 

[anat0l]

Two op-ups received recently on my status run / Oz Fest trip (late May):


First op-up was on QF97 BNE-HKG, equipment A330-300, original ticket Red e-Deal (V) Economy, original seat 23A. Received the op-up at check-in, was fairly early and not a single word was dropped about it. All I heard from the guy trying to work out my baggage routing and tagging with the supervisor was I was the passenger in 1K. As it turns out, that was also the boarding pass he handed me .

Second op-up was after coming back to Australia and in my dash around the nation I had QF517 BNE-SYD, equipment 767-300 (International config with Dreamtime J), original ticket Red e-Deal (O) Economy, original seat 25E. I had all my BPs for the day and had just arrived from MEL so bags were being transferred (not really - but that's another story) and I made my way from the gate to the J Lounge. Met samh004 as he was waiting for his flight to MEL. Got a page to go to the J Lounge desk; when I arrived there I was handed a BP for 1J. I also got a personal page as I rushed out of the JL as the flight was close to scheduled departure time; that was not cool....

 

[Voyages]

I had my first op-up with American Airlines today from Y to J (oh heaven ) on a cross Atlantic flight LHR-ORD.

Slightly different situation though, as it happened after I had already boarded and settled in my everybody-class seat.

After most pax were onboard, an FA approached the pax in the seat right behind me, asking them if they’d mind moving to another seat so that a family could seat together. The pax didn’t want to move. I thought to myself that if the FA asked me, I’d happily swap the seats. But the FA didn't ask me so.

5 minutes later, the same FA came back to me with a young girl in tow:
FA: Are you Dr xx_xx_ xx_xx_xx_?
Voyages: I certainly am.
FA: Well Dr xx_xx_xx_x, you’ve got a business seat in row 11. Enjoy! *smiles and hands over a new BP* *then said to the girl: This is your new seat*
Voyages: Oh thank you! *packs up stuff and moves to the front, getting stared at by other pax, especially by the pax in the row behind*

I don't know why I was chosen, but it was a very nice gesture that I truly enjoyed It's nice to have a J experience during the day.

 

[anat0l]

Good stuff Voyages! So how was AA TATL J?

especially by the pax in the row behind*

LOL love it!

 

[Fantic125]

On Sunday night I caught CX168 from MEL to HKG. At check-in they were asking pax if they would consider a paid overnight stay at the Hilton and an upgrade to J for the flight the next day as they were oversold.

Unfortunately I had a connecting flight from HKG which I couldn't postpone, so I had to pass up the opportunity....

 

[Voyages]

Good stuff Voyages! So how was AA TATL J?

Thank you, anat0l! It was awsome. I was going to do some work then, but I thought *stuff this, I am gonna enjoy the flight*, and I did

The Next Generation seat was very comfortable (though it's not flat and there's no massaging function). IFE was excellent with great program choices.

The food was great, with 4 choices for lunch and a couple of options for pre-landing. The FAs were very attentive of course.

I've got a similar amenity kit to the one offered in a recent flight between Sydney and Tokyo (small and cute).

LOL love it!

LOL, I am not sure what the other pax was thinking when I moved to the font*. But hey... I am glad I got picked.

I am very happy When I logged on my QF account this morning.... I realised it had been credited with 120 points (omg omg!) rather than the expected 30. This will help carry me over to Platinum this week.

*front, thanks to Fantic125.

 

[Fantic125]

I am not sure what the other pax was thinking when I moved to the font. But hey... I am glad I got picked.

I am very happy When I logged on my QF account this morning.... I realised it had been credited with 120 points (omg omg!) rather than the expected 30. This will help carry me over to Platinum this week.

Congratulations Voyages! Twice blessed - stepping up to the holy grail in body and spirit.

Body in J, spirit in Platinum!

 

[Fantic125]

Went to check in this morning for my discount economy flight from CAN-HKG-TPE...... and was upgraded from L to Business Class on the CAN-HKG flight!

Unfortunately BIS time is only about 50 mins, so it was short but sweet!

 

[Voyages]

Went to check in this morning for my discount economy flight from CAN-HKG-TPE...... and was upgraded from L to Business Class on the CAN-HKG flight!

Unfortunately BIS time is only about 50 mins, so it was short but sweet!

Nice indeed

And thank you for the congrats earlier, Fantic125!

 

[Siegfried]

I'm a bit late getting onto this thread, but the earlier posts re the op-up "algorithm" are interesting. From personal experience (not conclusive, but certainly suggestive), I think the "pax value" idea si most likely correct. I've been at WP since 2003, but was mostly flying discount Y - op-ups were virtually non-existent. For the last 4 years, I've been doing mostly int J, with some dom Y, for a spend with QF of between 100k and 150k per annum. On the 6 occasions where I've done int Y (because the travel has not been funded by our customer or I've chosen to have a break and come home in the middle of an assignment), I've had 4 op-ups (SYD-LAX-SYD and SYD-LHR-SYD), which I think lends support to the "value" theory. In the same timeframe, I've also had several dom op-ups (mostly BNE-PER or PER-BNE)

The long-haul upgrades were nice, but the best op-up I've received happened a couple of months ago BNE-PER. I was travelling with my boss, who tried for an ODU in the QP about 30 mins before scheduled boarding, but was knocked back (no seats). At the boarding gate, I got the red light, and was then handed a BP for 1C. Needless to say, the boss was NOT impressed - he whinged about it for the entire week we were in Perth.

 

[serfty]

... I was travelling with my boss, who tried for an ODU in the QP about 30 mins before scheduled boarding, but was knocked back (no seats). At the boarding gate, I got the red light, and was then handed a BP for 1C. Needless to say, the boss was NOT impressed - he whinged about it for the entire week we were in Perth.

You could have offered to swap seats

 

[Siegfried]

The Op-Up thread

You could have offered to swap seats

I did suggest that we should travel together more often, because he was obviously a good luck charm (for me) - which REALLY set him off.

 

[Mal]

JFK-LAX, LAX-MEL.

Was booked in S class. Got to check-in at JFK, "Both your flights are oversold, so you've been upgraded to Premium Economy on both flights".

No further beeps for my boarding passes, but saw a bloke on the LAX-MEL flight getting op-up'd while in his seat from PE to J.

 

[anat0l]

JFK-LAX, LAX-MEL.

Was booked in S class. Got to check-in at JFK, "Both your flights are oversold, so you've been upgraded to Premium Economy on both flights".

No further beeps for my boarding passes...

Nicely done. That upgrade would have (will) make the journey back more tolerable.

 

[deka2]

Wife and I travelled a few weeks ago QF31 SYD-LHR (747).

We are both NB and the flight was on points.

SYD-SIN had 70J,70K quite happy with them.

At boarding gate in SIN both upgraded to PE 34E, 34F

Very nice. Have no idea why.

 

[YQY]

I received my 7th (6 domestic / 1 international) Op-up for the year - K to J on QF446 (MEL-SYD) yesterday afternoon.

 

[Fantic125]

Wow, I'm on a roll this trip!

Posted earlier on an op-up from CAN-HKG, and have just checked in for my TPE-NRT-YVR-DFW segments.

Op-up from discount economy to Business for the NRT-YVR segment!

 

[m_ratt]

Been lurking for a while and just discovered this thread. Have been lucky enough to have a couple of op-ups in the last 18 months. Both international.

April 2009 SIN-MEL - fiancée and I got upgraded at the boarding gate from discount economy to PE. Flight was full, and I was Gold FF at the time.

June 6 SYD-LAX QF107 - booked in J, and was in F lounge with colleague (platFF). Got paged to Service Desk and issued F BPs. Knew a few other people had been upgraded J to F and flight was full.