BA and upgrades

[michael_JCWS]

I'm off on Honeymoon to Mauritius in late August :D. We've now have decided that we would like to upgrade our BA flight from Premium Economy to Business class, surely a simple thing to do !

Phone up Kuoni to enquire about the price, apparently they have no availability as they are only allocated 8 seats per flight, and can't get any more, Fair enough, so I give BA a ring. Firstly I ask if they have availability on the flight, apparently there are still plenty of seats left, secondly I ask if I can upgrade using my Airmiles, apparently not due to the fact the flight was booked as part of a package :( ok fair enough, well can I pay to upgrade as you have the availability, apparently not, as it was booked as part of a package :mad:

What is going on !!!!

Neither company seem willing to take my money !

Any suggestions

Cheers

Michael

[miniman]

BA are notoriously bad at letting you spend your miles. I've had the same issues - can I get an upgrade? Yes, except actually, no, because it's not the 14th Wednesday after Pentecost in a leap year that started on a Thursday under a full moon.

[pdV6]

From what you say they're saying, it sounds like you're stuffed. Guess you'll have to try it on at the desk...

[zcacogp]

Michael,

Congratulations on your forthcoming nuptuals.

Turning up saying "We're on our honeymoon, any chance of an upgrade?" may well get you want you want. No, I'm not kidding. Telling people you are on a honeymoon opens no end of doors in the travel and tourism industry. (Be warned, make sure the rings are very shiny and you have a copy of the wedding certificate in case they try to call your bluff.)

(For full effect, go straight there from the reception, in wedding dress/tails. People will fall over themselves to help you. I once took a pair of friends to their travel point at the start of their honeymoon, and they were treated literally like royalty.)


Oli.

[pdV6]

MrsV6 was literally dripping confetti all over the check in desk the day after our wedding!

Didn't do any good, though, as business class was full.
They did, however, give us a block of 4 seats & a bottle of bubbly, so it wasn't all bad!

[miniman]

zcacogp said:

Turning up saying "We're on our honeymoon, any chance of an upgrade?" may well get you want you want. No, I'm not kidding. Telling people you are on a honeymoon opens no end of doors in the travel and tourism industry.

Hmmm... this was my plan for my honeymoon in July. Mrs Miniman, however, made the valid point: how many people on a flight to St Lucia / Maldives / Bahamas etc AREN'T on their honeymooon???

[pdV6]

miniman said:

Hmmm... this was my plan for my honeymoon in July. Mrs Miniman, however, made the valid point: how many people on a flight to St Lucia / Maldives / Bahamas etc AREN'T on their honeymooon???

...or claiming to be?

[richardthestag]

zcacogp said:

Turning up saying "We're on our honeymoon, any chance of an upgrade?" may well get you want you want. No, I'm not kidding. Telling people you are on a honeymoon opens no end of doors in the travel and tourism industry.

We tried this when flying BA out to Tampa back in 1996, confetti, brand new shiney wedding bands, gazing lovingly at each other etc etc. They said they would try but ended up sticking us in the back end of a beaten up old DC-10 with cock all leg room and a woman next to me who was sooo fat that she got stuck in the seat. and she bloody stunk too..

FFS

Wife was miserable as hell this couldn't have got any less romantic. Wrote to BA on our return compaining about shitty aircraft and huge smelly people and Mrs thestag got a lovely bouquet of flowers + refund of 60% of the flight costs + a personal letter of apology.

We often fly BA and normally get good service, we occasionally get upgraded at check-in from our "steerage class" tickets at no extra cost. Helps if you dress smart, arrive very early, and go to the business class check-in accidentally.

By the way I am not fatist but do get pissed off at some peoples complete lack of self respect, and / or concern for those who are forced to be near them.

Congrats on the nuptials and have a top honeymoon, hope you don't see daylight, if you get what a mean

[srebbe64]

A little trick I learned years ago that works with some airlines is this:

I buy economy tickets. However, on the day of departure I walk up to the ticket desk and say "there's a hell of a queue checking into economy, could you give me your bottom price to upgrade". On many occasions I've found that the price I'm given is significantly less than the original quote. I assume that if there are empty (premium) seats on a plane and the airline can generate more revenue simply by moving the passenger from A to B, then some additional revenue is better than none. I'm not sure though, whether BA would be so obliging.

[WWESTY]

Well you could always turn up at the desk, get bumped off your flight, have to stay in a crap hotel that night (at BA's expense), get paid compensation, then fly the next day in Virgin Upper Class..........






well it worked for us coming back from Miami......

[pdV6]

Or, as a mate of mine who flies regularly to the 'States used to do: "Economy? What do you mean 'economy'?... Damn it, the secretary must have booked the wrong seats. However am I going to get my work done now?"

Allegedly had a pretty good hit rate for FOC upgrade to business class.

Doubt it would work for a couple, though

[chim_knee]

pdV6 said:

MrsV6 was literally dripping confetti all over the check in desk the day after our wedding! Didn't do any good, though, as business class was full. They did, however, give us a block of 4 seats & a bottle of bubbly, so it wasn't all bad!

Mrs Knee turned up with a t-shirt saying "Just Married"... Didn't do any good though, they still delayed us for 7 hours... Bloody Kenya Airways!!

[vetteheadracer]

I got upgraded to Club Class flying back from Philly last year.....the reason?.....I had too much luggage for World Traveller and World Traveller Plus

This is not a guaranteed way to get an upgrade and was not part of my plan but I was very happy about it

Dunno why you cannot upgrade using your airmiles and/or cash as I used a load of mine last year doing just that. I would cancel the package with Kuoni or at least threaten to if the won't upgrade you.

BA will upgrade you for free if they have over booked cattle class and there is space in one of the other classes. This usually only happens if you arrive at the airport early and are smartly dressed and don't have screaming kids.

[rude-boy]

I always find turning up early, talking nicely to the check in girl and asking if they have anything for a 6'3" bloke with a doggy back from playing Rugby always helps if done in my best Public School with charm accent.

At worst I always get the seats with real leg room. have gone up from cattle to prime beef class (World Traveller? on BA) and have also been put up to Business Class.

[miniman]

rude-boy said:

I always find turning up early, talking nicely to the check in girl and asking if they have anything for a 6'3" bloke with a doggy back from playing Rugby always helps if done in my best Public School with charm accent.

Be careful with this strategy! During a visit to the US, I had a nasty quad bike accident which left me very sore. So, I cunningly decided to try for an upgrade thus:

MM: "I've had a nasty accident and am very sore, and I can't face 9 hours cramped in economy, any chance of an upgrade??"

BA: "No"

MM: "OK, could you find me an exit row seat, then, please?"

BA: "Sorry, you're injured and so we can't put you in an exit row"

MM: "D'oh!"

[willmcc]

michael_JCWS said:

I'm off on Honeymoon to Mauritius in late August . We've now have decided that we would like to upgrade our BA flight from Premium Economy to Business class, surely a simple thing to do ! Phone up Kuoni to enquire about the price, apparently they have no availability as they are only allocated 8 seats per flight, and can't get any more, Fair enough, so I give BA a ring. Firstly I ask if they have availability on the flight, apparently there are still plenty of seats left, secondly I ask if I can upgrade using my Airmiles, apparently not due to the fact the flight was booked as part of a package ok fair enough, well can I pay to upgrade as you have the availability, apparently not, as it was booked as part of a package What is going on !!!!

I reckon what has happened here is that you were sold an allocated seat originally, this means that Kuoni buy the block of seats regardless of whether they can fill them. Obviously they get these seats cheaply, now if you upgrade they still have to pay for that seat and it is doubtful they can fill it now.
BA on the other hand have no reason to upgrade you they have already made the sale. If they upgrade you then they lose the business seats and cannot sell the seats you vacate since this belongs to Kuoni. Upgrading by miles will be refused for the same reason.
It's a lose lose for both sides hence the reason neither will do it.
The oly way to guarantee a business seat is to buy it I'm afraid though being on honeymoon can swing it.
We have an UG on space available policy as long as you appear sober etc it really is up to the airline desk rep (not the checkin staff) Also we normally give a bottle of bubbly though that depends on the crew.
Congratulations and good luck.

[zcacogp]

miniman said:

Hmmm... this was my plan for my honeymoon in July. Mrs Miniman, however, made the valid point: how many people on a flight to St Lucia / Maldives / Bahamas etc AREN'T on their honeymooon???

Good point. Helps that we went on honeymoon to somewhere unusual, where there were very few "honeymooners" ...

pdV6 said:

...or claiming to be?

Hence shiny wedding rings and a copy of the marriage certificate (in Mrs zcacogp's passport, signed the day before, to prove that she is now Mrs zcacogp, and not Miss maiden-name as her passport claims.)


Oli.

[FourWheelDrift]

michael_JCWS said:

Any suggestions Cheers Michael

Call yourself a 7th Day Adventist Scientologist, and say that this week your aura graph states you must travel by business class only and you'll complain of religious descrimination if they don't allow you to.

[Fatboy]

Check in as Dr.

It's worked for me a couple of times, and provides my friends/family with much amusement that all I use 4 years of research for is blagging free upgrades on flights

[miniman]

Fatboy said:

Check in as Dr. It's worked for me a couple of times, and provides my friends/family with much amusement that all I use 4 years of research for is blagging free upgrades on flights

Now there's a thought. Mrs Miniman is in reality Dr Miniman...