likelihood of getting an upgrade?

Ok shot in the dark here, not expecting any miracles whatsoever but just wondered what my chances would be of getting an upgrade to upper class when I arrive at the airport based on my following criteria.....

LGW to LAS on a return economy discounted fare during the sale (not miles + money) @ £701.00
Single Traveller
Red flying club member with 40,000 miles
No meal request
Took advantage of the upgrade from econony to PE option at a cost of an additional £500
Have 2 x VA Credit Cards

Also if you do get an option to upgrade on the day do you have to check in at the airport or does it still work when you check in online?

Like I said, total stab in the dark, just curious as to what the criteria would be if UC wasnt full.

[Darren Wheeler]

Given that there are only 14 UC seats on a LGW plane and they are normally sold months in a advance, I'd say very little. Discounted fare and FC Red won't help either as there is likely to be AU and AG in front of you on full fare.

Having said that, you never know....

Sorry to dash your hopes but the chances of an upgrade are virtually zero.
When you upgraded to PE that would almost certainly be on a K fare which is not upgradable with miles. You would need to pay up to an S fare to have an upgradable fare and then you can use miles to go to UC if available.

If you are hoping for a free upgrade then I am pretty confidant in saying zero chance. Red card, mileage balance and credit cards held will have absolutely no bearing.

To sit in UC then your best bet is to pay up to an S fare and use 10k miles each way. If you had not booked your ticket yet I would say buy an L econ ticket and 40k would get you into UC round-trip but that is no longer an option for you.

Also if you do get an option to upgrade on the day do you have to check in at the airport or does it still work when you check in online?

IF there are any upgrade offers they generally appear during OLCI (but they may appear anytime just check in manage bookings on a regular basis) but if not there is still no harm in asking at the airport.

It is still worth doing OLCI as you then retain your seat request (and may be able to move to a better seat if you are not happy with your current one.

VS are pretty stingy with 'free' upgrades only doing it if they have to like an over booked lower cabin and even then there is a set list of criteria that they use.