upgrading BA flights booked in a package

Nick_C

Getting back to the original post, if there are unsold seats in the premium cabins you can pay to upgrade at the airport. An upgrade to premium economy is usually about £190 one way to the US.

Re redemptions. I've got an Amex 241 which I am planning to use to go to LA next year. Although I've got enough Avios for CW, I'm still unsure whether it is worth it. I've flown Business Class on American a few times, and I think BA's dormitory class would be very disappointing by comparison. I'm contemplating using WT+ if there is any Avios availability, although I may be forced to use CW.

What do others think?

malkie76

That's only really if they are offering a special price, otherwise the cost to upgrade will likely be over £1k at the airport. The OP hasn't returned with what the TA has advised, as some TAs do allow avois upgrades.

In terms of your own query - LA is one of the longest routes so of course a as is the way forward. You can fly on the A380 which is a better config compared to the 777 which I assume you alude to. I've never really subscribed to the 'dormitory' remark about the 777 cabin. Sit towards the front, or take a window seat if it bothers you.

Nick_C

malkie76 wrote: »

That's only really if they are offering a special price

I've done it three times in recent years on N American routes. IME, if they have unsold seats in PE they will sell them at a fair price.

Thanks for your thoughts on CW. It just looks so high density. And having to climb over other people to get out of a window seat? Really?

malkie76

IME all cabins have been oversold on recent trips. I was offered a bump to F on a recent trip from SFO, but if I transferred to LAX. I politely declined.

If climbing isn't your thing then take an aisle, or one of the many seats where no climbing (or being climbed over) is a problem. It's less of an issue than being in s middle WTP seat I'm sure

In terms of density it's only about 15% or so more - just a better use of space.

Horses for courses I agree.

jpsartre

Nick_C wrote: »

I'm contemplating using WT+ if there is any Avios availability, although I may be forced to use CW.

The jump from WT+ to CW presents the biggest difference of any cabin-upgrade IMO. I would never book WT+ with Avios if CW was available.

Nick_C

malkie76 wrote: »

In terms of density it's only about 15% or so more - just a better use of space.

Not sure I'd agree with that.

In terms of the seat itself, BA's Club seat is 72" by 20". AA's Business seat is 75" by 26". So 35% more space on AA just in the seat.

But of course it's more than just the seat. AA's 1-2-1 configuration gives you a huge amount of personal space; more like BA's first class. Easy aisle access to every seat. Two windows. Lots of storage, which is accessible when the seat is reclined. And a huge amount of privacy. I'm talking about the 777-300 or the A330, and I've happily used my own money to pay for business class on AA.

BA's 2-4-2 configuration is very high density by modern standards. Look at the 777-300. Between the first 2 doors, AA have 44 seats in 1-2-1. BA have 56 seats in 2-4-2. That's 12 more people that you have to share the toilets and overhead lockers with (and you need the overhead lockers on BA as there is hardly any personal storage), and potentially more noise.

I would never pay with to fly Club on BA, which is why I have serious doubts about the value of using Avios. However the availability issues mean I will probably have to. In terms of the extra fees and the value of the extra Avios, it will be an additional £535 each for the return to LA. If I had the choice, I was thinking WT+ outbound and First on the return might be better, but availability might not be there.

I suppose the good thing about having low expectations of CW is that I just might be pleasantly surprised!

Does CW vary much between aircraft? I'm actually heading on to Hawaii, so if I go via LAX it will be the A380, but and of the west coast airports would work for me.

Doshwaster

Nick_C wrote: »

Does CW vary much between aircraft? I'm actually heading on to Hawaii, so if I go via LAX it will be the A380, but and of the west coast airports would work for me.

The best BA CW experience is upper deck 747. Unfortunately these are being phased out

malkie76

Nick_C wrote: »

I would never pay with to fly Club on BA, which is why I have serious doubts about the value of using Avios.

You can use your avois to fly on AA, so I'm struggling to understand your point. No WTP experience will be superior to CW, so the extra spend of points which have no intrinsic value is a complete no-brainer.

This is totally outside of the scope of the OP of this thread. If you don't like a particular carrier then don't use them - you have a variety of options, and indeed several OW carriers to spend avois with.

SW17

Nick_C wrote: »

I would never pay with to fly Club on BA, which is why I have serious doubts about the value of using Avios. However the availability issues mean I will probably have to. In terms of the extra fees and the value of the extra Avios, it will be an additional £535 each for the return to LA. If I had the choice, I was thinking WT+ outbound and First on the return might be better, but availability might not be there.

I suppose the good thing about having low expectations of CW is that I just might be pleasantly surprised!

Does CW vary much between aircraft? I'm actually heading on to Hawaii, so if I go via LAX it will be the A380, but and of the west coast airports would work for me.

The CW seat itself is pretty consistent across the fleet (the exceptions being the long-haul 767, the ex-BMI A321s and the A318s used for LCY-JFK - none of these go to the west coast USA). There are small differences in cabin layout and space around the seat, eg upper deck 747 and A380 both have side storage bins which are useful (if often filthy in the case of the 747). Upper deck A380 is 7 across and UD 747 only 4 across.

Your key focus area of comparison seems to be the seat, in which case AA's 77W would be considered superior by most, though as you know, not as consistent across the fleet yet. There are other areas of the experience where BA may be considered on a par or even better (subjectively).

Using a 241 it will be more subjective, as it's more about whether you view the transaction in CW as not worth the premium over WTP, or one as getting more "free" value from the 241 by going CW.

malkie76 wrote: »

You can use your avois to fly on AA, so I'm struggling to understand your point. No WTP experience will be superior to CW, so the extra spend of points which have no intrinsic value is a complete no-brainer.

This is totally outside of the scope of the OP of this thread. If you don't like a particular carrier then don't use them - you have a variety of options, and indeed several OW carriers to spend avois with.

Can't use a 241 on AA though, has to be BA metal. As to scope, the OP never returned to post on the thread and the topic drift was started by MSE Nick reopening the thread to talk about redemptions, so I'd say it's fair game at this point...