Who gets chosen for an upgrade – and why?

Back to Forum
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 40 total)

  • Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Morning,
    I was interested on the different methods airlines use to decide who to upgrade.

    As you know, many airlines overbook their cabins (which is a whole different subject) and so then exercise selective upgrades for some lucky flyers – economy to premium economy (if existing), premium economy to business and so on….

    There’s certainly the belief that, all things being equal, if you are a top tier flyer flying economy, and the economy cabin is overbooked, the you have a good chance of being selected for that upgrade. Certainly that is how I’ve always understood it – the airline wants to reward its best customers, and the best customers are those who have flown with it enough to earn the top tiers.

    It seems, however, that some airlines now upgrade based on the fare paid – in other words, if you are platinum but flying on a restricted economy ticket, and are sitting next to someone who is Blue or Bronze, but who is on a flexible ticket, then if upgrades are necessary, Mr Blue or Bronze will be chosen ahead of you.

    I was wondering if anyone has experience of this (or the opposite).

    Many thanks
    Tom


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    Do the airlines ever share their logic?

    Assuming we are talking Europe (as the US is somewhat different), some airlines do have software algorithms that (in theory) spead the upgrades around so that people do not rely on status based upgrades.

    On the other hand, I’ve seen people be randomly upgraded at the gate, apparently to try for an ontime departure, when logic flies out of the window, in favour of safeguarding a slot.


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    I don’t think they will share it with us, no, which is odd since you’d want to manage expectations.
    I think there will be a logic to each airline’s policy, though, even if we disagree with it.
    In either of the scenarios sketched above, the airline is rewarding its “best” customers, either because they are top tier or have, alternatively, spent the most on the ticket.
    What’s interesting is that as more programmes move over to awarding miles and tier points based on the revenue ticket, whether that also applies to upgrades. I suspect it does with some airlines, and not with others.


    Charles-P
    Participant

    As part of a project I did for a Middle East airline about two years ago I worked with people who are on the gate and have some power when it comes to upgrade, I asked directly who do you choose and why (more out of curiosity than anything else). There was indeed priority given to frequent flyers particularly if they had ‘high’ status but there were other factors as well. I just dug out my notes from the meeting and the answers I had are as follows regarding who does get the upgrade and who doesn’t”

    DOES GET
    “If he looks right in Business / First, no one scruffy”
    “Someone who is polite to me”
    “A person who looks tired and needs a decent flight in Business”
    “An older person” (this was from an ethnic Chinese woman)
    “I look to see if their shoes are polished”
    “People I know”
    “A person who is patient”
    “Someone who smiles and says good morning”

    DOES NOT GET
    “Rude people”
    “People who demand an upgrade because… (insert excuse here)
    “Anyone wearing denim”
    “Anyone with a cheap handbag”
    “A passenger with tattoos”
    “Women with babies”
    “Men who try to chat me up ….. unless they are good looking”


    TiredOldHack2
    Participant

    Politeness and affability go a long, long way, in my experience. Not as far as a top-tier card, though.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    I always imagined it was someone inside a computer playing “chess” with seat allocation.

    Move economy forward 2 places, business takes first then first is checkmate and downgraded…


    FaroFlyer
    Participant

    I used to be BA Gold registered in HKG before transferring to Portugal. Soon after transferring I was flying from HKG in J and asked BA staff about upgrade policy for Gold cards. I was clearly told “We look after our own!”

    I have also heard that BA has information not just about status, but also about frequency of travel with BA. For example, if you have Gold but only 4 sectors with BA, and all other tier points earned with other OW carriers then your chances are much less.

    Certainly politeness and friendliness also help. I sometimes ask if they “need to upgrade today” to show that I understand why upgrades happen.


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Yes, I think that’s true, but a lot of upgrades are decided before you even get to the airport and have an opportunity to be polite.
    I think in the case of Emirates, for instance, it’s clear that the policy had changed this year and now they are decided on the basis of flexibility (and price) of ticket rather than tier status.


    TimFitzgeraldTC
    Participant

    A whole host of reasons will determine upgrades. But it isn’t solely on status.

    Some Silver card holders are more valuable to BA than Gold Card holders.
    If you are Gold, but only use BA to fly the odd European flight and attain status using other OW carriers, then a silver card holder who travels on say 4 longhaul Business class fares to say SIN or HKG on a higher value ticket each time is more important to BA than someone who gets Gold off ex-EU tickets or travel I just mentioned to Europe.
    4 ex EU tickets gaining Gold might only cost £5-6k.
    4 J class fares from LHR could easily cost £20k.
    So the silver card holder will have a higher CIV (Customer Importance Value) score than the Gold card holder.
    So if computer in charge at T-24/36 hours then this will apply.

    If it comes down to gate staff on the day (which happens less these days) then no doubt it will be some of the factors mentioned by Charles-P.


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    That’s interesting – and would explain why people who do tier point runs to attain status are so outraged when that status doesn’t get them upgrades with some airlines, or even access to the lounges (at Hamad International, for instance)…


    greyhawkgeoff
    Participant

    On BA across the Atlantic from observation especially on the Florida leisure routes – ‘looking after our own’ applies whatever the computer says. I was distantly related to BA 767 captain now retired and he advised that he + his wife always got a ‘free’ upgrade to Club on their leisure travel. Another acquaintance who was based for years as a pilot in BKK where he lived could always get his wife into Club or First when she travelled from their UK home to Thailand, (whose climate she loathed!).

    On AA domestically in the past month I have frequently seen dead heading AA pilots try to get into domestic First – the seating is rather good for an hour or two – and been politely declined at the gate when the 12 or 16 seats are fully sold. No tantrums at having do go down the back but on board a sly packet or two of pretzels have been passed over!


    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    Back in late 2010 I was flying CO from EWR – LHR. I was on a one way ticket in Y. It was in a reasonably high y fare class as transatlantic one way fares often are.

    At the gate there was an announcement about overbooking in Y, so I asked the gate agent about the possibilities of an ‘op up’. (I was not top tier with CO who were at that time mid way through their merger with UA, as I recall).

    Gate agent advised they upgraded on basis of Y fare paid. Looked at my reservation, confirmed I was one of two in high Y fare category, and I was ultimately upgraded.

    I think UA, like BA tend to go on status, but CO back when they were a standalone entity were different.

    (On a side note UA in domestic F prioritize meal choice based on status. So a status pax on a very cheap Y fare who has been upgraded, as status pax do automatically if there is space, based on top tier, then descending, would get their first choice meal over and above a non status pax who had paid for their F ticket).


    TominScotland
    Participant

    From my experience, the dress up, smile at check-in/ at the gate thing does not make any difference. As has already been suggested, 99% of upgrades seem to be pre-determined and, in my case, linked to my Gold status and not my spend. I have had a very good run on BA recently, with PE flights to Singapore and from KL upgraded to Club and, more surprisingly, a return leg from Dubai when booked in Economy likewise upgraded to Business (this was an Avios booking). I have also been upgraded a couple of times over the past 12 months by Qatar with whom I have no status.


    JohnHarper
    Participant

    I remember about ten years ago Lufthansa were quite open for a while about their policy and it was clear then that value of ticket would trump status for upgrade and there were quite a lot of angry golds around at the time. At the same time they introduced HON as a new top tier which caused even more annoyance to those who didn’t qualify.

    I don’t know what their policy is these days but certainly the method has been tried.

    Of the airlines I know about and travel with frequently:

    SQ – very tight, based on status i.e. PPS first and ticket value and officially only from Y to C, they maintain they don’t upgrade to F and crew have told me that many times though some maintain they have been. Before doing Y to C they will look to off load if there is a viable alternative. SQ probably have the best revenue management in the business and they nearly always get it right.

    TK – tight and again based on status and ticket value.

    QR – based on status but it doesn’t often happen as their loads are not usually anything like 100% in fact these days when I fly in C it’s usually about 60% full and the back might be 70% on the occasions I go for a walk. 70% probably almost makes the 787 OK in Y!


    GivingupBA
    Participant

    TominScotland said, “From my experience, the dress up, smile at check-in/ at the gate thing does not make any difference”.

    I’m not so sure and I have a cautionary tale. In the 1980s I flew JFK to LHR one way “Y” on TWA. I’m always very polite to checkin agents but something went wrong that one time and I didn’t get on with him at all well. As I left the desk I thought “Well I didn’t get on with HIM”.

    On boarding the 747 I found I was seated right in the middle of the plane and slap bang in the middle of an enormous high school group – there was a sea of them around me. They were having a great time for the whole flight. I got no sleep and I wryly suspect I was deliberately placed there….

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 40 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls