We’ve all heard the stories of travellers booking an economy ticket and ending up in business class, sipping champagne before take-off. It is the kind of travel win most of us would love, especially on a long-haul flight where a flat bed can make all the difference to fly in ultimate comfort.
The reality is that airline upgrades are rarely as simple as getting lucky at check-in. These days, airlines treat premium cabin seats as some of their most valuable inventory they hold. Rather than giving them away casually, airlines invite passengers to be added to waitlists by:
- Participating in blind auctions for premium cabin upgrades
- Submitting upgrade requests using frequent flyer points
- Purchasing last-minute cash upgrades at check-in
- Using upgrade certificates, typically issued to elite status holders
In many cases, requesting an upgrade does not mean it will be confirmed instantly. More often, you are added to a waitlist and the waiting game begins. One traveller might have their upgrade confirmed days before departure, while another may not find out until their boarding pass is swapped at the gate.
There are several moving parts to your upgrade clearning, from the fare you bought, your frequent flyer status, the type of upgrade requested, how full the flight is, and whether the airline still believes it can sell that premium seat.
While upgrades can be one of the best ways to get more value from your frequent flyer points, they are never guaranteed. Understanding how airlines typically process upgrades can increase your chances for your next flight.
Can all tickets be upgraded?
No. This is where you need to be careful about which fare you select, as it can catch a lot of travellers out. In many cases, the cheapest fares are not eligible for upgrades requests.
As a general rule, the more flexible or expensive your ticket is, the better your chances may be of sitting higher on the upgrade waitlist.
Upgrading an award ticket, meaning a ticket purchased using reward points, is also possible with some frequent flyer programs, but it is far from universal. Qantas is one example where eligible Classic Flight Reward bookings can accept upgraded requests using points.
Can My Economy Ticket be Upgraded to First Class?
Usually no, however it depends on the frequent flyer program and the cabin layout of the aircraft.
Many frequent flyer programs only allow you to upgrade by one cabin class. For example, if the aircraft has Economy, Premium Economy, Business and First Class, an Economy ticket may only be eligible for an upgrade to Premium Economy rather than directly to Business or First.
This is where it pays to do a little research before you book, especially as more airlines continue to add Premium Economy cabins. However, on some routes, particularly in North America and parts of the Middle East, aircraft may only be configured with Economy and First. In those cases, the “next cabin” rule may lets you upgrade from Economy to First Class.
What are waitlists and when do they clear?
Airlines do not process upgrade waitlists on a simple first-come, first-served basis. Each airline has it’s own internal system to decide which requests clear first, and the exact formula constantly changes depending on the route, season and typical cabin demand.
In most cases, airlines consider factors such as your frequent flyer status, the fare type you purchased, the upgrade method used, and whether the premium seat could still be sold for cash to determine when an upgrade should be issued and to who. This is why requesting upgrades is a waiting game, as some requests may clear days before departure, while others are left until check-in, or even the gate.
Another area of difference is some airlines prefer to fill as many premium seats as possible, while others may hold seats back in case they can still sell a last-minute business or first-class fare at the highest price possible. Also, keeping seats open can also give airlines more flexibility during irregular operations, especially at hub airports where delays, missed connections and aircraft swaps can occur more often.
An Upgraded Seats Don’t Always Mean Upgraded Benefits
This is another area many travellers overlook, when an airline accepts your upgrade request, the perks you receive can vary depending on the airline policies. In many cases, your upgrade doesn’t mirror the full benefits of a paid premium cabin fare.
While your onboard experience will match the cabin you have been upgraded into, other benefits such as i ncreased baggage allowance, lounge access, priority check-in, free seat selection or extra ticket flexibility may still be based on the original fare you booked.
Timing also matters, if your upgrade only clears at the gate, your upgraded experience may effectively begin once you step onboard. That still gives you the comfort of the better cabin, but it may mean missing out on ground benefits that would normally come with booking that cabin outright and special dietary meals may also be difficult to arrange at such a late stage.
It is also worth checking what happens to any extras you purchased with your original ticket, such as extra baggage or paid seat selection as these are often non-refundable.
Lasty, if you booked your original ticket with cash, your points and status credit earning will also usually be calculated based on the fare you originally purchased, not the cabin you were upgraded into.
Can you use your points to upgrade flights on another airline?
This is a common question at Points Advisor, and in most cases, the answer is no. Typically frequent flyer points are usually tied to the airline program they belong to, and many airlines only allow upgrades on their own flights.
That said, some airlines and alliances are starting to offer more flexibility, allowing upgrades beyond their own operated flights. Qantas, for example, allows members to request upgrades on selected American Airlines flights using Qantas Points.
Star Alliance has one of the more established partner-upgrade systems in operation. Several Star Alliance frequent flyer programs such as ANA, United & Lufthansa, allow members to use miles from one program to upgrade a flight operated by another Star Alliance airline. However, these upgrades are usually subject to strict rules around eligible fare classes, operating airline flight numbers, availability and codeshare restrictions.
The Key takeaway
The golden rule at Points Advisor is simple: book the cabin you actually want to fly. Upgrades can be a fantastic way to increase your comfort in the air, but they should never be relied on as a guarantee. There is always a degree of luck involved, and even the best-planned upgrade request can still miss out.
As we have covered, upgrades sound simple in theory, but become complicated quickly once you factor in various fare classes, waitlists, airline policies and partner rules. Our Points Mastery Class dives deeper into how upgrades work with Qantas, Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways.
By all means, try your luck with an upgrade and enjoy it when it comes through. But, always book with the mindset that you may end up flying in the cabin you originally paid for.
