5 reasons you may no longer be getting that upgrade! September 25, 2013 For many travelers, the most prized benefit of frequent flier programs is not free tickets, but the chance to escape the cattle-car that the back of the plane has become and sit in first or business. When an upgrade is available at time of booking, that’s wonderful, but such an upgrade often must be wait-listed, even if it’s months in advance. Sometimes it’s possible to discover how many people are booked in first or business — a nearly empty flight should mean a good upgrade chance, especially when booking early. Many passengers would happily expect an easy upgrade, but they may be wrong. Here are some reasons why: 1. Most upgrades are based on status. If you’ve earned all those miles on a credit card or saved up from the occasional trips over the years, you’re not likely to have elite status. With the same type of upgrade, frequent fliers who book late will leapfrog travelers who’ve booked several months out. I once had a client with United Silver Premier Status who wait-listed an upgrade to Hong Kong with miles over eight months out, when a reservations agent told me there were only two people booked in business class. The night before the flight, another helpful agent told me that some people had been upgraded, but my client was 63rd on the list. Years ago, when all mileage-based upgrades were based on when someone was added to the list, booking ahead would have worked. But, these days, with so many elite perks and upgrade rules, sitting up front is normally a last-minute perk. 2. The price paid for the ticket matters. Airlines often have ten or more booking classes for the same coach ticket. Passengers who book early enough to get a deeply discounted fare are probably in one of the lower classes. As far as waitlist priority, even for travelers with the same status, the person with the higher fare is higher on the list. (This one is particularly unfortunate for travelers who plan ahead, either to save themselves or their company money, because it means they often lose out on upgrades to those who book last minute. 3. Airlines are offering more discounted business class fares. It wasn’t that long ago that airlines offered all kinds of nonrefundable coach fares, and there was only one business and one first class level. Then airlines started adding discount business class fares with significant advance purchase rules, geared towards leisure travelers. Recently, however, I’ve seen discount business class fares with no advance purchase. They’re generally nonrefundable, with significant change fees, but increasingly appealing to business class travelers. And, while bargain hunters may find them sold out, I’ve seen them available the day before departure. 4. Unsold premium seats may be sold for a fee at check-in. The fee is generally lower than what the fare would have been, but it may be significant. On United this month, I had wait-listed an upgrade from San Francisco to JFK with miles. When I checked in online they told me they were unable to confirm the upgrade, but offered to give me a coach seat for $659 one way. Even though $659 was considerably less than the published fare, which starts at almost $2,000 for their “Premium Service,” it was still more than twice what I had paid for the ticket, so I declined. I survived just fine in coach. But clearly others did take advantage, as five remaining seats disappeared overnight. Another client in Washington, DC, who flies regularly to Frankfurt, always tells me to book one of the higher coach fares. He doesn’t bother with business class, since he almost always gets that upgrade offer. 5. And then, there’s the economy. As it recovers, particularly for those who are in the upper-income brackets, more people are paying for business class — even first class. No group of travelers ends up feeling more entitled regarding upgrades than United Global Services. Increasingly, even some of these travelers are ending up traveling in their paid class with no upgrades. What does this all mean? There aren’t any simple answers. If passengers really want an upgrade, they should book early. Consider going on a wait-list, taking the flight where the upgrade is available even if it’s a little less convenient or, if the comfort matters and it’s economically feasible, consider paying that discount business class fare. Which, of course, is exactly what the airlines want you to do.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:16:19 +0000