Using miles for upgrade, a checklist

Hi all, this is my first post but I've been lurking a while.
This is a fab and informative forum y)

I want to book a flight in the next week or two and use my miles to upgrade but don't want to be on the phone forever and finding what I want isn't available,so I thought I would do as much legwork online as I can and then go to them with all the information. So I would really appreciate it if anyone could point out anything I may have wrong.

I want to fly LHR to Hong Kong paying economy fare and then upgrade to PE outbound and UC on return. I have found an economy ticket L available for my dates, I then searched my dates using the spend miles facility to check there was redemption seats available.Is this correct? And would there be anything else to pay on top of the economy fare? Thanks in advance x

In terms of outbound, yes you'll need Y,B,L economy ticket for cash (L being cheapest, I think) plus U (PE reward) availability - you'll also need 10k miles - all this per passenger of course.

On return, you'll need a G avail, or UC reward.

I fly this route every month and upgrade seats are not easy to get as it is a very busy route as LHR-HKG is exceptionally popular (just see how many daily non-stops you can get) and also it is the VS kangeroo route.

You will need to be flex with your dates. Mid week has a better chance but what you will probably need to do is just book the econ flights you want and then check regularly to see if some seats have been released. They are released in what appears to be a random way (a few now and then) although there is nothing random about it. It is controlled by how many have been sold and loading etc.
So check, check and check again and when you see one don't hang around - the seat will not. You will, of course, get fleeced with higher airport tax out of UK (but HK is not a problem).
Even on day of departure seats are released if not sold however usually if you walk away from LHR check-in without an upgrade it is unlikely to happen. There are a few exceptional instances where people have been upgraded in the CH but if they tell you it will be done at the gate you have been fobbed off. Miles upgrades are NEVER done at the gate (someone will correct me of course).

HKG-LHR is also exceptionally busy but the staff are much more upgrade friendly at the airport. Probably because they only have a few flights to handle. They will probably tell you the flight is full. They always say that. Who cares if it is full - what counts is if it checks in full. If not then make sure they know you want to use miles to upgrade. They do not have an official upgrade list like the US airlines but they do have an unofficial one.

Whilst in theory you can buy a cheap econ ticket and then f upgrade is available pay up to the L or higher fare I don't recommend this as the ticket will need to be re-issued, the fare collected and if time is short it cannot be done and the upgrade seat will be lost. Go for the L fare then at least you are ready for action.

And would there be anything else to pay on top of the economy fare? Thanks in advance x

Yes you will pay additional fuel surcharges on both legs and on the outbound leg from the UK additional APD (£ 75).

If you have found upgrade availabilty in PE and UC to use your miles on the dates you want then book it NOW. If you wait there is a very good chance that the seats will be snaffled up and LHR-HKG is a popular route and people are always on the look out for PU/UC upgrades.

Only thing I would add to this is that there's apparently a new economy code R that will also be upgradeable (R used to be a discounted UC code that's now been replaced with I...). Not sure if it's in use yet, but it has been added to the list of upgradeable codes on the VS website page.

Only mention this because it might be a cheaper option than an L, if available. But don't think there's any way to search for that fare code online yet...

Thanks for the replies and I think from what JCBR says I won't be taking any chances on buying econ then hoping to upgrade.I will book and upgrade all in one go via the call centre I have researched the days I want and everything is available, I'm just not in the position to book yet. Gutted, because I know it will probably be gone when I do want to book!
The R code isn't available as an option on the website but I'll be sure to ask about it when I call, thanks.
And the additional APD, is that £75 each way? So an extra £150 on top of the fare I'll be paying?

And the additional APD, is that £75 each way? So an extra £150 on top of the fare I'll be paying?

APD only applies on ex-UK flights so its just £ 75 (£75 is included in the economy fare already)

[Neil]

. Gutted, because I know it will probably be gone when I do want to book!

A tip for the future, you can reserve flights/fares/reward seats for 48/72 hours, you just have to ask the call centre to do this for you. I know it isn't that long, but can help if you need a few days to organise things without the worry you might lose a reward seat.

Neil

If you don't mind paying a change fee you can book and then change later BUT if the upgrade is not available for one of VS's quirky reasons they will not refund you the miles.

Also if you make a booking by phone (only) you have 24 hours to change/cancel/refund in full with no penalty.

Thankyou so much guys. Fingers crossed I can sort it out, then I'll be back with lots of daft questions as I've never flown this route OR airbus OR upper class. Very excited

I usually book flights a few weeks ahead, where upgrade availability is near zero. FWIW I haven't had any problems booking a cheapo economy fare, then calling nearer departure once a reward seat becomes available, and upgrading to an L fare & processing a miles upgrade on the same call. I've also done the same at the airport.

The ticket can take a while to be reissued, but when I've tried it, the upgrade is processed before the re-ticketing request is sent to the ticketing dept.

Only risk I suppose is that an L is unavailable when you want to upgrade, in which case you could get stung for a more expensive B or Y. This does of course assume you're happy flying in Y should no reward seats materialise.

Thanks for that benamure. I should know wether I can actually take the trip by this weekend but have in the meantime (very unwisely!) been torturing myself by checking if "my" reward seats are still available, only to see the outward one has now gone. Judging by what a few have said I think it may still be wise to book the L ticket both ways (the return journey has several days with upgrades available) and hope for a reward seat for the outward flight to become available nearer the day. Has anyone here ever had an experience where there is no upgrades available but a few days before or even at the airport, one has come up?

<<Has anyone here ever had an experience where there is no upgrades available but a few days before or even at the airport, one has come up?>>

yes - regularly.

<<Has anyone here ever had an experience where there is no upgrades available but a few days before or even at the airport, one has come up?>>

yes - regularly.

Cool y)