Fisher1 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Hi all We are just booking flights for a visit to the UK planned for late next year. We are wondering if anyone has any experience of trying to upgrade a flight from tourist to premium economy after booking but several weeks before the day of travel - is this easy to do, or is it pot luck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 13 minutes ago, Fisher1 said: Hi all We are just booking flights for a visit to the UK planned for late next year. We are wondering if anyone has any experience of trying to upgrade a flight from tourist to premium economy after booking but several weeks before the day of travel - is this easy to do, or is it pot luck? Depends on the airline, and the rules on your particular ticket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 I read somewhere that premium economy seats are often sold out first as they're very popular. So I wouldn't count on there always being any spare PE seats to upgrade to. Why not book PE seats up front if that's what you want? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slean Wolfhead Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Complicated these days and the differences between airlines can be stark. The price of an upgrade can go to frequent flyer milesholders rather than just cash buyers, plus the ability to do so can depend on whether you purchased the cheapest Economy fare, or the more expensive Economy "Flexible" fare. Premium Economy seats on some airlines are very expensive for what you get. We looked at the Singapore ones the other day and they were pretty ordinary, certainly not worth paying nearly 3x for. Paying the extra for business class at around 4x is far more cost efficient for what you actually get, you can sleep and it doesn't bugger you up for days either side of the trip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted December 23, 2018 Author Share Posted December 23, 2018 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted December 23, 2018 Author Share Posted December 23, 2018 2 hours ago, NickyNook said: I read somewhere that premium economy seats are often sold out first as they're very popular. So I wouldn't count on there always being any spare PE seats to upgrade to. Why not book PE seats up front if that's what you want? Insurance issues - Its Complicated. Thanks for the feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Some airlines send out an email a week to 10-days before the flight asking you to bid for an upgrade. Who offers to pay the most gets it. Obviously how many seats they have available to upgrade to as well as what the other passengers are willing to offer (it's a sealed bid auction - you don't see what the other passengers have bid) makes a difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted December 23, 2018 Author Share Posted December 23, 2018 58 minutes ago, Ken said: Some airlines send out an email a week to 10-days before the flight asking you to bid for an upgrade. Who offers to pay the most gets it. Obviously how many seats they have available to upgrade to as well as what the other passengers are willing to offer (it's a sealed bid auction - you don't see what the other passengers have bid) makes a difference. Thanks for the feedback Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Twice now my Father in law has received an email from Emirates two weeks before his flight asking if he wanted to pay a set fee to upgrade (the last one was £400 (April 2018), unsure of the time before). He said it wasn't a 'bid' but thought it was a a straight payment - I haven't seen the email however so can't verify. Can I ask, why not pay upfront? Do you think paying for an upgrade would be cheaper closer to the time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 I got a business class fare to Singapore for an extra $400 last year, it was great. Grab it if it is on offer! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted December 23, 2018 Author Share Posted December 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Ozzie said: Twice now my Father in law has received an email from Emirates two weeks before his flight asking if he wanted to pay a set fee to upgrade (the last one was £400 (April 2018), unsure of the time before). He said it wasn't a 'bid' but thought it was a a straight payment - I haven't seen the email however so can't verify. Can I ask, why not pay upfront? Do you think paying for an upgrade would be cheaper closer to the time? If you look back to the beginning of the thread you will see that this question has already been asked and answered. Thanks for the info though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlast Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Hi all We are just booking flights for a visit to the UK planned for late next year. We are wondering if anyone has any experience of trying to upgrade a flight from tourist to premium economy after booking but several weeks before the day of travel - is this easy to do, or is it pot luck? What airline are you going with? It might be worth looking at business class as well. I have found sometimes only flexable premium economy are left so fixed business class works out cheaper.You might not be able to upgrade either if you have a bargain basement economy ticket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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