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Hey,
I often see posts on here asking questions about free upgrades and quite often the usual response is no they don’t.
To my surprise, I went to scan my boarding pass to get on the plane only to be given to big red cross saying “seek attention”. Usually this is because I book an extra leg room seat and they want to make sure I’m suitable/ok sitting there. But today they informed me I’d been given a free upgrade to business class.
They printed a new boarding pass for me and on it at the top it said “Thank you from BA, we hope you enjoy your upgrade”.
Not sure if BA are getting in the holiday spirit but that’s the first time I’ve ever been given a free upgrade, and I didn’t even ask for it (not that I ever ask for one anyway).
So if your wondering how to get one, don’t bother asking for one as it will always be a no. It’s just pure luck if you get one, a bit like the lottery.
Yes getting to the time of year now when there will be plenty of upgrades, business class demand drops but lots of people travelling so they’ll oversell the lower cabins
They run an algorithm to determine who to upgrade, there is reportedly some element of attempting to give you a “taster” of the higher classes so you might fork out for it next time.
They do not upgrade based on status as they do not want people thinking they can get something for free
Sorry to say it’s not luck nor was it given out of the goodness of BAs heart.
Upgrades – if they are required – are determined by algorythm and today you were top of the list.
BA definitly does not upgrade for free just because there is space in the cabin which is why people say BA don’t do them.
But they do if a lower cabin has been overbooked and there is space in a higher cabin.
Agree with BA Flyer above…
Additionally, if my feeble memory serves correctly, you usually get approx. 3 free upgrades (‘tasters’!) before they start to pitter away.
It’s a very old article, but it’s probably also worth having a read of this and some of the comments:
https://www.headforpoints.com/2014/06/09/british-airways-civ-score-corporate-individual-value/The strange thing is, I normally book business class, but for the past 2 trips (including the one I got the free upgrade), I booked economy (due to running low on company budget with it being nearly the end of the year). So they’d of known I don’t need a “taster” as they’ll of seen all my flights this year except the last 2 have been business.
Maybe they thought it was the start of a trend, you switching to economy, so the algo decided to remind you what you’ve been missing!
I got upgraded on both my flights on the same day – LHR to VIE and return – so, I dont think its completely random. I have silver status but I am sure there are Golds in a Monday flight to a moderately important business route like Vienna.
Hope this happens to my long haul flights too!!!
Silvers are more likely to be upgraded than Golds – in my personal/family experience as well as the impression I’ve got from reading flyertalk for the past 10 years
I got upgraded on Friday on my way to Prague as a Silver. It’s happened to me on that route before and it’s always when it’s an A319, so it’s almost certainly operational. As I noticed the seat change in the app, I downloaded a new boarding pass myself, so there wasn’t any beeping or contact with staff.
But that meant BA completely missed the opportunity to make a bit of a thing out of it – no email, no “Mr Pete, good news!” at the gate. They did cancel the return and I ended up on FR, so guess my luck ran out quite quickly 🙂
I’ve had 2, possibly 3, upgrades Y to C so short haul, and definitely absolutely not when I was a Gold. On longhaul Y to PY relatively frequently for my number of flights at the time, always on flights that seemed totally full. I think there’s a trend as other people also mentioned elsewhere getting one on their first flight as Silver.
Whllst Silver I was alao offered spontaneously by cabin crew having reached my seat but with boarding still continuing, would I like to move to a better seat a few times. Either I’m stunningly beautiful or they know exactly the status of who’s in which seat.
As Gold i generally seemed to already be in one of the better seats anyway.Either I’m stunningly beautiful or they know exactly the status of who’s in which seat.
Both can be true 🙂
I got upgraded on Friday on my way to Prague as a Silver. It’s happened to me on that route before and it’s always when it’s an A319, so it’s almost certainly operational. As I noticed the seat change in the app, I downloaded a new boarding pass myself, so there wasn’t any beeping or contact with staff.
But that meant BA completely missed the opportunity to make a bit of a thing out of it – no email, no “Mr Pete, good news!” at the gate. They did cancel the return and I ended up on FR, so guess my luck ran out quite quickly 🙂
Something similar happened to me twice, no notification nothing, just seat change…
Silvers are more likely to be upgraded than Golds – in my personal/family experience as well as the impression I’ve got from reading flyertalk for the past 10 years
Yup, was upgraded twice when I was Silver. 0 upgrades since I’ve hit and stayed Gold around 5 years ago, over perhaps 150-200 flights.
Possible the upgrades were indeed “tasters” and it’s not about status.Have been upgraded on oneworld airlines many times though when flying with BA status!
I think collectively we are proving there is no obvious system or definable logic. I received zero upgrades during three years as Silver, but have had quite a few in three years as Gold, with a similar number of flights and range of destinations throughout.
I think it’s just pot luck, depending on which cabins on a flight are overbooked and who happens to be travelling where.
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