Upgrade Flights

joa · 23 February 2005 at 1:11PM

Aaahhhh, yes it does now, thanks !!

If we get an upgrade, it will be a fantastic bonus but we're so excited about just going, that it won't matter either way. As I said in my first post, our flight times are good ... just over 13 hours to Kualar Lumpar, little over 2 hour stop then just over 5 hours to Perth. I did 18 hours to the Falklands in an RAF plane so economy in Maylasian Airlines will be pure luxury !!! ho ho.

WHIZKID2 · 23 February 2005 at 1:12PM

think it's a little unfair to say if you're tall tough. not as if it's a choice, and wev've saved hard to do this trip. dont expect upgrade, but it is frustrating to get on plane and find bulk head, extra leg room seats taken up by normal height people and kids. we always say we would be happy for hubbie and tall son to have those seats daughter and self happy to sit behind.
also tall sister in law with same back problem did trip last year and had to be taken of by medics and ambulanced off runway while refuelling due to akward person in front keeping seat back max time and reducing leg room even further

mystic_trev · 23 February 2005 at 1:40PM

WHIZKID2 wrote:

Any Tips To Get Extra Leg Room Or Should We Just Pay The £270/sector To Go World Traveller Plus

My comments about tall people were not personal - I was commenting from Airlines / Check in point of view. As you've said you're prepared to pay for an upgrade to World Traveller plus seats then why not just pay for them? Or just purchase the one World traveller plus seat and rotate your seating during the flight.

Robert5988 · 23 February 2005 at 2:28PM

chalky_bertie wrote:

It's what I have been told by several airlines but they do have to see you if you sit on the emergency exit row.

You are correct that is exactly what you are told by every airline but it is not the full story.

I fly about 20 times a year - mainly to the USA - and hence I am a Platinum member of American Airlines Frequent Flyer scheme( this is Saphire membership of the 'One World Alliance' which includes BA)
Every time I fly in Economy I pre-book my emergency exit seat, and also for anyone travelling with me, at the time of booking.(incidentally I am 6ft5in tall) I suppose if I looked incapable of opening the Emergency Door I might be queried at check-in. If you book a flight on the AA website you can check seat availability and you will see all bulkhead and emergency exit row seats are unavailable. However if you book in as a Gold or Platinum member you will find that they are available.

The whole purpose of Frequent Flyer schemes is to give additional incentives to those who spend lots of money with them. It also ties them in to that particular airline to earn miles and/or retain their Elite status. I often pay more for my flight for that reason.

With regards to upgrading, the major airlines declared policy is to upgrade their frequent flyers in the priority order of their status - that is one reason Elite members book in at the First Class check in desk even with a economy ticket. However they normally only do this if economy/coach is full.

I only ever pay for a economy ticket, although I often upgrade using miles. My experience is something like Mystic-Trev's in that in many years of air travel, and I have had Elite status for quite a while, I have never received a free upgrade on long haul and only a few times on short haul; and I like to think I turn up smartly dressed at check-in - well my kids think so even though my suits are apparently old fashioned!!

Oswin_2 · 8 June 2005 at 5:09PM

Golden rule with regard to upgrades is that the odds are very much against you being successful so always arrive early. If you don't then the best seat options won't be available and you'll suffer twice over! Dress smart and flirt like hell and you never know what might happen. Always ask the check-in staff to register your request for an upgrade so that if they ARE looking for people later on then they'll know who to look for. The worst they can do is say 'No'.

Check-in online wherever possible to bag the best seats and, as I discovered in Turkey earlier this week, some airlines actually allow you to check in at your hotel the day before the flight - they delivered boarding passes and luggage tags to my room...

Useful tip from Martin about joining frequent flyer programmes (for example BA gives you an automatic 3 extra kilos of baggage allowance) but remember that airlines are often in alliances so don't join more than one airline in any particular group as that can reduce the effectiveness of your points-gathering.

Always check if the airline serves food as part of your ticket or if you have to buy on board. Even scheduled airlines like SAS are charging in economy these days so if you're flying with them - take your own!

And finally, it's not a precise science but if you're booking online it's sometimes better to do it at weekends. Prices sometimes come down when the airlines know you aren't all using the office computer!

Good luck!

cougar_3 · 8 June 2005 at 5:42PM

Problem with checking in online is that some tour operators book seats en-mass. I checked in as easy as possible (within 5 minutes) on a BA flight to Denver and there were less than 20 seats free at the back of the plane.

Being a tallish person - or someone that likes legroom anyway - don't forget that the person behind can make living hell for the person in front as well. I've had toddlers kicking my chair non-stop while their parents slept and tall people with their knees in my kidneys!

With upgrades, has anyone ever tried bribery - slipping in a note with their passport at check-in?

pin · 8 June 2005 at 6:01PM

truscott_uk wrote:

With upgrades, has anyone ever tried bribery - slipping in a note with their passport at check-in?

Tell you what, next time you fly try it, and then tell us what happens...

fetler · 8 June 2005 at 6:31PM

.........................

will-in-estoril · 8 June 2005 at 6:59PM

I travel on four airlines regularly: bmi, Portugalia, TAP Portugal and BA; my wife is also an employee of one of these companies.

Two of these airlines do not upgrade without the say so of the captain. The other two upgrade their own staff sometimes; these same two upgrade their gold card holders if economy is oversold, and this is done at the editing stage ie the night before when the airline looks at the load compared to seats available.

'Blue' cards mean nothing, apart from a stepping stone to silver and gold. If you flash it about you'll be greeted by derision, particularly if you have bought the cheapest web fare and want to be upgraded!

Asking is generally the best way to remain in economy.

SFU comments from travel agents are worthless; SFU comments from airline staff are worth a bit more: generally, the more senior the person commenting the better your chances.

I get tickled pink watching and listening to folk asking: it usually makes no differerence if you're just married, if your travel agent has commented you, or if you think that because you are one of the Cheshire set it's a God-given right. (Many of the latter are referred to as '2 bob snobs' by airline staff, and their fate is sealed!)

Buy a full fare economy, and your chances will improve: check in staff will know by your booking class and fare basis roughly what you've paid: after all, they see the same tickets day in day out.

Travelling standby I am quite sanguine about the whole thing: as long as I get a seat I am happy.

After all would you pick up a pound of chuck steak at your butcher's, then insist it be exchanged for best sirloin at no extra cost?

By all means carry on asking: it provides no end of mirth at airline staff rest periods!!!!

Rizzo_3 · 9 June 2005 at 8:03AM

Do we not reckon there's a case for the European Court of Human Rights here though? If the airlines stopped trying to cram as many people as they possibly could onto the planes then there would be no need for people to beg for upgrades. They could still have the fancy first class/business class sections where you actually get proper crockery to eat your dinner off, etc!!

I recently flew to Hong Kong with Swiss Air-part of the journey involved flying from Manchester to Zurich, and the vice versa on the return leg. The plane from Zurich to Manchester was so tiny my hand luggage would not fit in either the overhead locker or under the seat in front of me- something you would have thought the airline staff might have told me- I spent that part of the flight with my knees under my chin- not something I enjoyed very much after a 13 hour long-haul flight!

Swiss boasts that they have made their seats 5cm thinner to give the passengers extra legroom! If you are unlucky enough to get a window seat on one of their long-haul flights you will find that your legroom is further restricted by a stupid silver box that they have placed under the seat in front, presumably to work the in-fight movie thingy.This reduces the space under the seat in front of you by half width-wise- you have no room to stretch out. I am only 5' 2" and I was uncomfortable!! I dread to think how somebody taller than me would have coped!!

To add insult to injury to get you all off the plane they make you walk through the business class and 1st class sections- just to show you all what you could have had!

I would definitely try and find the extra to pay for an upgrade next time!!

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