If you travel frequently, you may have received a notification to upgrade your seat, perhaps through bidding, a fixed cash price, or by redeeming. Today, we’ll take a look at which airlines offer this service, and when it can be really good value to sit further upfront.
Premium for a fraction of the cost
Airlines are stingy with upgrades, preferring to leave business class (or premium economy and first class) seats empty rather than hand them out for a few extra dollars. Bidding has quickly become the preferred method for passengers to try their hand, although a fixed price is still around some routes. For example, I was once offered an upgrade from premium economy to Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic for £650 ($736) from London Heathrow to New Delhi.
When bidding, airlines will set a minimum and maximum range for a seat. There are a few tricks to bagging the seat for the lower end of the scale. For instance, leisure routes attract lesser competition than business ones, as do late morning or later departures, which have seen business travelers jet off.
Most passengers will probably bid the minimum amount, so pushing your bid ever so slightly higher is essential if you are bidding. Realistically, betting 20-40% above the minimum is a strong shot at bagging the seat (even if the scale on the airline website doesn’t say so). To get an estimate of how busy the cabin is, try to book a new seat and see how many are already occupied and how high the fare has climbed. The more full the cabin, the higher your bid should be.
Now, let’s take a look at which airlines offer you the chance to bid for an upgrade in the first place, since not all do.
In first class
One of the few airlines that will allow you to bid on a first class seat/bed/cabin, is Etihad Airways. The UAE flag carrier does not restrict upgrades to destinations and will let you bid for a seat in one class above your current booking.
Joining Etihad in the first class bidding ranks is Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. This is also only available when first having acquired a ticket for one fare lower, and upon receiving an invitation email.
For upgrades to business class and beyond, here’s a comprehensive list.
A to C
Aer Lingus offers bidding on select transatlantic flights and it is only available to customers who receive an invitation by email.
Aeromexico allows you to bid on an upgrade to its ‘Clase Premier’ cabin. The business class seat is lie-flat and available on long-haul routes and the Boeing 787.
Air Canada runs the well-known AC Bid program, which allows eligible passengers to put in a bid up to 48 hours before departure. Remember, you will still earn miles on the basis of your original ticket, no matter how high the bid is.
Air New Zealand has its own OneUp system, which allows a one-class upgrade for passengers flying exclusively on long-haul international flights. Here’s a look at the airline’s upcoming Business Luxe offering.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) allows only those passengers invited to participate in an auction, but almost all international flights are available. Minors need permission from a guardian to participate in the program.
Copa Airlines offers a bidding scheme, an “instant upgrade,” and a payable option if you show up at the airport two hours before departure, and there are seats available.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific allows you to bid one class up on select flights. With premium economy, business, and first class on offer, there are ample chances to upgrade, albeit at the right price.
Czech Airlines is betting on the gambling aspect and has named its system the ‘Business Class Upgrade Auction Game’, rather bluntly explaining how to score a seat.
F to L
Fiji Airways runs a program called Bula Bid, with eligible participants receiving invitation emails seven days prior to departure.
Icelandair invites passengers ten days before their flight to participate in bidding on a move up from economy to its Saga Premium cabin.
Kenya Airways does not explicitly say it sends out emails, but rather those on eligible flights are allowed to bid up to as little as 14 hours before departure.
LATAM, on the other hand, only provides this service to passengers who have received an invitation.
Lufthansa allows economy passengers on long-haul flights to bid on upgrades to either premium economy or business, and on short- to medium-haul to premium economy. While the process is complicated, large cabins in many long-haul flights mean there is a good chance you can score a seat.
Q to V
Qantas opens up the bidding seven days ahead of departure and closes it as little as 24 hours before. It is one of the few carriers to allow passengers to use a combination of cash and miles in the auction.
Singapore Airlines also lets customers use a mix of cash and KrisFlyer miles, or the one or the other. Customers can change their minds, or their bids, up to 50 hours before departure.
Qantas compatriot carrier Virgin Australia allows travelers to bid on both international and domestic upgrades through its UpgradeMe scheme. Despite a restructuring in 2020, the UpgradeMe program remains in place, even if the long-haul fleet is now long gone.
Emirates used to offer a Skybid Auction service to bid on upgrades but has now moved to miles-only or an airport-upgrade system only.
Remember that upgrading flights is not an easy task and requires you to meet several conditions, such as booking directly with the airline, being on the right fare class (not the cheapest or reward ticket), etc. While prices might seem outrageous on some flights, there is occasionally some great value on upgrades, especially on those empty long-haul flights.
Source: simpleflying.com