Upgrading on BA
Oct 23rd, 2008, 04:55 PM
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Upgrading on BA
Has anyone had experience in upgrading from Traveller Plus to Business on BA using miles? At this time the BA website says nothing available. Since we are not flying until April, 2009 how long should we expect to wait until they open up upgrade seats?
Oct 24th, 2008, 09:51 AM
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Oh yes, I have had experience in this. Ohmigosh, where do I start?
I guess to start with I can tell you that I <b>HAVE</b> the upgrades, so it IS possible. But here's what you need:
- tenacity and a real stubborn/determination streak
- myriads of patience
- a strong support network at home - spouse/SO will have to be very supportive of you during this trying time, young children (if you have any) will have to learn to get themselves dressed, fed and off to school by themselves while you call BA every morning, lunch and evening.
- a good solid broker who will call & tell you when your stocks are plumeting because you won't have the time to read newspapers, follow the economic situation, nor will you even think of these things because you have become SO engrossed in JUST GETTING THAT UPGRADE.
- lots of kleenex because you will shed lots of tears
- lots of cyberspace time to write emails to BA to whine, cry, cajole, plead
OK, now that you are so equipped, here's how you do it:
Go on their website every single morning, lunch hour, supper hour and last thing before going to bed and check for availability. As soon as it's available, call BA Executive Club right away (if it's before bedtime unfortuantely they won't be open). As you check the sight so often, you will actually see that days and flights, etc open up - and close - all the time. You'll get discouraged that is never YOUR day, or YOUR flight that opens up, and for days and months on end there will be nothing available - and then - suddenly luck will shine down and they will have opened up more award seats on your flight, or someone who had it booked previously will have changed their plans & a seat will open up.
That made it sound easy, but believe me, my story was not. For the first two months their website kept telling me that I didn't have enough points to updgrade (untrue) and it wouldn't show me what was available, so I had to call them <b>every single day</b>. Then, all of a sudden, the website let me check on line, and my life became easier.
Actually, the whole booking of the tickets was a very painful, dramatic, expensive process from start to finish, it even includes such drama as me talking my extremely experienced and competent travel agent out of jumping off the nearest bridge. If anyone cares to listen I can tell my story in full.
I guess to start with I can tell you that I <b>HAVE</b> the upgrades, so it IS possible. But here's what you need:
- tenacity and a real stubborn/determination streak
- myriads of patience
- a strong support network at home - spouse/SO will have to be very supportive of you during this trying time, young children (if you have any) will have to learn to get themselves dressed, fed and off to school by themselves while you call BA every morning, lunch and evening.
- a good solid broker who will call & tell you when your stocks are plumeting because you won't have the time to read newspapers, follow the economic situation, nor will you even think of these things because you have become SO engrossed in JUST GETTING THAT UPGRADE.
- lots of kleenex because you will shed lots of tears
- lots of cyberspace time to write emails to BA to whine, cry, cajole, plead
OK, now that you are so equipped, here's how you do it:
Go on their website every single morning, lunch hour, supper hour and last thing before going to bed and check for availability. As soon as it's available, call BA Executive Club right away (if it's before bedtime unfortuantely they won't be open). As you check the sight so often, you will actually see that days and flights, etc open up - and close - all the time. You'll get discouraged that is never YOUR day, or YOUR flight that opens up, and for days and months on end there will be nothing available - and then - suddenly luck will shine down and they will have opened up more award seats on your flight, or someone who had it booked previously will have changed their plans & a seat will open up.
That made it sound easy, but believe me, my story was not. For the first two months their website kept telling me that I didn't have enough points to updgrade (untrue) and it wouldn't show me what was available, so I had to call them <b>every single day</b>. Then, all of a sudden, the website let me check on line, and my life became easier.
Actually, the whole booking of the tickets was a very painful, dramatic, expensive process from start to finish, it even includes such drama as me talking my extremely experienced and competent travel agent out of jumping off the nearest bridge. If anyone cares to listen I can tell my story in full.
Oct 24th, 2008, 04:51 PM
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Lynda, you do have the patience. I started out by phoning 2 or 3 times a week. Then, a person told me that I could check on availability on the website. I do this at least 3 or 4 times a day. I will continue to do so. The statement, in red, that I get at the top of the page says: Error
It has not been possible to upgrade your itinerary as requested.
Does this sound like your experience?
It has not been possible to upgrade your itinerary as requested.
Does this sound like your experience?
Oct 24th, 2008, 10:38 PM
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Patty, there's a story there on where I am going, (isn't there always a story with me? 
)so I will fill you in after I give the info to Robertalee....
Paulchili, you are right, through this whole ordeal that's what I kept saying - it should NEVER be this hard to spend that much money!
Robertalee, no, it doesn't look like you are getting into the right place - which is exactly what was happening to me during the first two months, except it didn't say error - it kept coming back and saying I didn't have enough miles to use points to upgrade, which wasn't true.
But finally, someone at BA told me I was probably clicking on the wrong place, and he took me step by step through it - and it works:
Go the BA Executive Club Log in page, enter your membership number and pin#.
A page will come up that says 'welcome' & it will have a cazillion options on it to click. Scroll almost right down to the bottom of the page, right hand side and click on the blue link that says "book using BA miles".
Next you will get a screen with two tabs for choices - the default tab is the one you want (Book with BA miles). Make sure 'BA Miles' is ticked off, not part cash, part miles.
Next enter Miami as your departure city (from) and LHR as your 'To' city, along with the specific day you are booked on. Be sure to tick off 'One Way'. Select Business/Culb World from the class of service drop down menu. Your name will probably be ticked off as the passenger, but it doesn't really matter who the passenger is.
Click 'Get flights'. If there is not an open award seat on your day you entered, it will pop up with a calendar, and show you what days are available. Take a huge piece of paper, and write down what days have seats available, write them down each time you check on the internet, and you will see that they change really often, they come, they go - which is why you have to keep checking.
On the day that luck shines down on you, you won't get a calendar popping up - you will get your flight information - or at least another flight on that same day pop up. When you do, you have to call BA Exectutive Club and grab that seat! On one leg of the flight, I bit the bullet and paid $220.00 to switch to an earlier flight - what an idiot I know, but by then I was desparate!
Good luck, and let us know how you make out!
)so I will fill you in after I give the info to Robertalee....Paulchili, you are right, through this whole ordeal that's what I kept saying - it should NEVER be this hard to spend that much money!
Robertalee, no, it doesn't look like you are getting into the right place - which is exactly what was happening to me during the first two months, except it didn't say error - it kept coming back and saying I didn't have enough miles to use points to upgrade, which wasn't true.
But finally, someone at BA told me I was probably clicking on the wrong place, and he took me step by step through it - and it works:
Go the BA Executive Club Log in page, enter your membership number and pin#.
A page will come up that says 'welcome' & it will have a cazillion options on it to click. Scroll almost right down to the bottom of the page, right hand side and click on the blue link that says "book using BA miles".
Next you will get a screen with two tabs for choices - the default tab is the one you want (Book with BA miles). Make sure 'BA Miles' is ticked off, not part cash, part miles.
Next enter Miami as your departure city (from) and LHR as your 'To' city, along with the specific day you are booked on. Be sure to tick off 'One Way'. Select Business/Culb World from the class of service drop down menu. Your name will probably be ticked off as the passenger, but it doesn't really matter who the passenger is.
Click 'Get flights'. If there is not an open award seat on your day you entered, it will pop up with a calendar, and show you what days are available. Take a huge piece of paper, and write down what days have seats available, write them down each time you check on the internet, and you will see that they change really often, they come, they go - which is why you have to keep checking.
On the day that luck shines down on you, you won't get a calendar popping up - you will get your flight information - or at least another flight on that same day pop up. When you do, you have to call BA Exectutive Club and grab that seat! On one leg of the flight, I bit the bullet and paid $220.00 to switch to an earlier flight - what an idiot I know, but by then I was desparate!
Good luck, and let us know how you make out!
Oct 24th, 2008, 11:18 PM
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Oops, sorry Patty, I clicked on POST before I remembered I was going to tell you a story to answer your question!
I am REALLY excited to tell you this - we are going back to Kenya/Tanzania/Zanzibar again! And there is a valid reason that I have not posted anything on the Africa board yet - even though we are going for sure, all I know at the moment is WHEN we are going - May/June 2009. I don't know with who yet, and until I get a few more things sorted out, I didn't want to post it on the Africa board.
Last year, you may remember, I had said that we wanted to take our son Jamie and his best-friend-from-kindergarten-on-up (Andrew) to Africa to show them the wonders of the people, the land, and the animals. It was Jamie's 30th birthday this year, while we were in Alaska - well actually the Yukon that day. We called him and told him that he could not say no to a birthday gift - that this day next year we were going to celebrate it, our treat, 100% of the way, in Nairobi. It has been three years since we have even been on the same continent as him on his birthday. And as I had taught him right from childhood to always accept gifts graciously, he said yes, he would accept the gift. But, he was unsure of Andrew, as he just bought a condo and couldn't afford a vacation, and Jamie flat out refused to let us pay for his way. (although I still will if they let me....).
Shortly after we got back from Alaska, another couple that we know expressed an interest in going with us - we would be either a group of 5, or 6, if Andrew came. But, they could not afford a <u>really</u> expensive safari, so that ruled out the company that we went with over the last two years, the price on that particular safari has shot up tremendously, and the other couple said 'no' right off the bat to the cost of that one.
But, having learned all kinds of good things from you and everyone over on the Africa board, I knew that I could get a private safari for much cheaper for the 6 of us. So, I dug out the old itinerary that you & Sandi and a whole bunch of others helped me make for my friend - remember that one?. Well, my friend never did go, the husband became critically ill last spring, but I remembered how hard we all worked on it and dug it up.
I chopped and changed a few things here & there so that Jim & I could experience a few different camps, etc, but made sure that I still had the first-timer-must-see highlights covered for the other four. I think it is a wonderful itinerary, and I will be posting it soon - just need to iron out one more thing yet (the operator) and then I can go on the board with it.
I had to do the airfare right away for the three of us (Jim, Jamie and myself) as I had a small credit that BA gave me from last year, but I had to use it by Aug 2nd. Which caused no end of pain - and that is STILL not straightened out but there's another story.
In the meantime though, with the news media throwing around that 'R' word so much, it has scared the beejeebers out of the other couple and they are wavering (they have not as of yet booked their airfare) and one day they are still coming, while the next day they are not. I have told them they can sit on the fence for a while yet though, as being a private safari, they can commit later. I really do hope they can still come.
But, no matter, the three of us will go for sure still! I say travel now, spend now and hey we can always eat cat food when we retire....
I am REALLY excited to tell you this - we are going back to Kenya/Tanzania/Zanzibar again! And there is a valid reason that I have not posted anything on the Africa board yet - even though we are going for sure, all I know at the moment is WHEN we are going - May/June 2009. I don't know with who yet, and until I get a few more things sorted out, I didn't want to post it on the Africa board.
Last year, you may remember, I had said that we wanted to take our son Jamie and his best-friend-from-kindergarten-on-up (Andrew) to Africa to show them the wonders of the people, the land, and the animals. It was Jamie's 30th birthday this year, while we were in Alaska - well actually the Yukon that day. We called him and told him that he could not say no to a birthday gift - that this day next year we were going to celebrate it, our treat, 100% of the way, in Nairobi. It has been three years since we have even been on the same continent as him on his birthday. And as I had taught him right from childhood to always accept gifts graciously, he said yes, he would accept the gift. But, he was unsure of Andrew, as he just bought a condo and couldn't afford a vacation, and Jamie flat out refused to let us pay for his way. (although I still will if they let me....).
Shortly after we got back from Alaska, another couple that we know expressed an interest in going with us - we would be either a group of 5, or 6, if Andrew came. But, they could not afford a <u>really</u> expensive safari, so that ruled out the company that we went with over the last two years, the price on that particular safari has shot up tremendously, and the other couple said 'no' right off the bat to the cost of that one.
But, having learned all kinds of good things from you and everyone over on the Africa board, I knew that I could get a private safari for much cheaper for the 6 of us. So, I dug out the old itinerary that you & Sandi and a whole bunch of others helped me make for my friend - remember that one?. Well, my friend never did go, the husband became critically ill last spring, but I remembered how hard we all worked on it and dug it up.
I chopped and changed a few things here & there so that Jim & I could experience a few different camps, etc, but made sure that I still had the first-timer-must-see highlights covered for the other four. I think it is a wonderful itinerary, and I will be posting it soon - just need to iron out one more thing yet (the operator) and then I can go on the board with it.
I had to do the airfare right away for the three of us (Jim, Jamie and myself) as I had a small credit that BA gave me from last year, but I had to use it by Aug 2nd. Which caused no end of pain - and that is STILL not straightened out but there's another story.
In the meantime though, with the news media throwing around that 'R' word so much, it has scared the beejeebers out of the other couple and they are wavering (they have not as of yet booked their airfare) and one day they are still coming, while the next day they are not. I have told them they can sit on the fence for a while yet though, as being a private safari, they can commit later. I really do hope they can still come.
But, no matter, the three of us will go for sure still! I say travel now, spend now and hey we can always eat cat food when we retire....
Oct 25th, 2008, 07:46 AM
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LyndaS, I tried your method and thank you; however, there are NO dates in April, 2009 available for upgrades. What in the world is going on then? We had no trouble in getting upgraded coming back on May 1!
Oct 25th, 2008, 08:47 AM
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Robertalee,
Looks like you are right - my goodness - all I could see on the calendar was Apr 5. I'd keep checking all the time if I were you, maybe they will release seats bit by bit. The cust/relations guy from BA told me that 'Revenue Serices' checks this all the time - both by computer and by a real person taking a look and analysizing when to open up seats & when not to. In Sept he kept assuring me that May was a long time away in their books and chances were good that seats would open up. As the month went on, I was amazed at how quick the blue spaces on the changed - both open and close. What really reassurred me was when I went into Dec around Christmas, and I was seeing seats still open (this was in Sept - may be different now)
Keep trying and I'll be rooting for you!
Looks like you are right - my goodness - all I could see on the calendar was Apr 5. I'd keep checking all the time if I were you, maybe they will release seats bit by bit. The cust/relations guy from BA told me that 'Revenue Serices' checks this all the time - both by computer and by a real person taking a look and analysizing when to open up seats & when not to. In Sept he kept assuring me that May was a long time away in their books and chances were good that seats would open up. As the month went on, I was amazed at how quick the blue spaces on the changed - both open and close. What really reassurred me was when I went into Dec around Christmas, and I was seeing seats still open (this was in Sept - may be different now)
Keep trying and I'll be rooting for you!
Oct 25th, 2008, 11:19 AM
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Aha! I thought maybe I'd missed an earlier post. Glad you're taking Jamie along this time. The memory is fuzzy so I don't recall what we'd proposed for your friend but I'm looking forward to seeing your itinerary when you post it on the Africa forum.
Oct 27th, 2008, 02:50 AM
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Even if you can't get a confirmed upgrade from WTP+ to Club, there's a half decent chance of getting an operational upgrade, especially if the flight is relatively full in WT. (They move some people from WT to WTP and then, because the WTP cabin has only about 48 seats, your odds of getting an op-up to Club are half decent if you've purchased your seat instead of getting it with points.) I've received op-ups from WTP to Club on about 1/3 of the segments I've flown in WTP over the years (maybe 40+ segments). Granted, I had Gold status for most of that, but I still think the odds are fairly good even if you don't have elite status with Oneworld. Don't expect an upgrade, but enjoy it if you get one.
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