Upgrade with no notification - op-up?

[Beano]

I have had sporadic upgrades. The surprise of my life was when travelling from WLG to GLA (Glasgow) on EK 3 yeras ago with my wife (Bronze). I'm QP. At DXB on the final sector, our boarding passes would not scan, which gave me a bit of a shock until two new boarding passes were produced which gave us business class seats. Unfortunately the seats were at each end of the cabin, but it didn't matter too much as the separation bewteen adjacent seats is quite significant. Doing the same trip in a few weeks, but don't give much hope for an upgrade.
Once upgarded SYD-DRW. The pasenger next to me was a CA deadheading. Also LAX-SYD to premium economy but didn't know until I sat down. The boarding pass issued in Austin TX was not clear.

 

[jenib]

I have had 3 op-ups and each time found out at the gate when my boarding pass was rejected and replaced.

• travelling alone on QF Sydney to LAX, A380 J to F seat 1K. On this trip I had a lovely degustation meal paired with wine for every course
• travelling with DH on another QF Sydney to LAX A380 we were both upgraded from J to F
• travelling from Rio to Santiago on Latam - upgraded from Y to J

 

[marks]

I've had a few upgrades on QF. Once from BNE-TSV but I got an email about 72 hours out asking if i'd want to upgrade with points. (Form letter). Ignored it. I got an upgrade anyway on a packed flight. I'd say it was oversold and hence the offer. I'm never taking those offers again now...
But I have to say about 6 times I've had a Y to J upgrade on CX. I used to be based in SIN so SIN-HKG was on CX.

The best story was for a family of 4 (2 adults/ 2 under-12s ) on CX and when I arrived at the airport for the BNE-HKG flight, all of us got upgraded from Y to PE. I did hear the attendant say to the check in manager, that the "platinum family" was here. I was a rock star in the kids eyes that day. (P.S. I didn't last long)
Cheers.

 

[jpp42]

I've only been QP for 2 years and SG for a couple years before that, but received a few op-ops. For QF metal, just the one, where I had booked into Premium Economy on JNB-SYD, paid flexible fare. I was op-up'd to business - it was a weekend during school holidays as mentioned by others. I think I was only gold then but I suspect I was picked due to the amount I had paid for the seat.

The best op-op's have come from OWE status on partners. I've received one on AA (domestic Y-F), two on Cathay Dragon (short haul Y to J), and the best one which was on UL (CMB-MEL), from Y to J (long-haul full flat bed). The latter was a week or so after the Sri Lankan bombings so I suspect business travel had tanked yet Y was oversold with locals/expats trying to get away. I am unhappy about the tiny number of SC's you sometimes get on OW partners (and am going to have trouble retaining WP as a result), but the op-up's have been a good consolation.

 

[Max Samuels]

The best op-op's have come from OWE status on partners.

Agree 100%

 

[Bugalugz]

I was booked on a QF flight number DXB-PER in paid J on EK.....got to the gate and boarding pass went red got torn up and given a first class boarding pass.....that was quite nice and a surprise! The missus who was on a separate ticket after we had just spent 20 mins at the desk in the lounge trying to sort seats together because they stuffed them up we got split up anyway, think it was 2 days before she spoke to me haha! Also got an Op up travelling on BA J to F as QF Gold.

Both circumstances flights were oversold in J