Does OLCI limit your chance of an op-up?

Before starting, I will say that there is no god-given right to op-ups, but does using OLCI limit your chance of an op-up?

Reason I'm asking is that I've been gold for the second time for around 12 months now. In that time I've travelled around 24 sectors and not had any op-ups. I unfortunately have to travel in Y due to company policy and usually do an OLCI to make sure I get the seat I want.

Has anyone had op-ups after they've used OLCI?

Thanks,
Darren

[Nottingham Nick]

This has been discussed quite a few times.

Very few people (outside VS) knows for sure exactly how op-ups are decided, but it appears that most lucky recipients are chosen before they reach the airport, based on Flying Club status and other factors outlined in the V-Flyer FAQ's.

There have been several examples in the past of people receiving op-ups when using OLCI, and the consensus seems to be that it has no effect on your chances.

Nick

Originally posted by lockedm

Has anyone had op-ups after they've used OLCI?

I have often wondered this too. My company policy is primarily PE unless I can bill a client in UC. I do think VS has cut back severely on opups in the past two or three years - I recall being the lucky recipient of many more in the past than I have of late, hence my dwindling mileage as these are used on upgrades!

As for using OLCI - I'm not sure that this matters but do have a sneaking suspicion that it's easier to move someone to a different cabin if there is a need to (due to overbooking - which seems to be the only reason for opups nowadays) if you have not used OLCI.

As Nick says, how VS determines this is a mystery. I add however that even though there may be a likely ranking, I know for sure that it doesn't always apply (from experience and talking to people on board who have been upgraded with no status, no history when there are a few Aus sitting around too).

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by slinky09
.... I know for sure that it doesn't always apply.....

Absolutely right! Just when you think you have figured out the pecking order, there will be somebody sat next to you who just happened to be in the right place at the right time, or happens to know the right people and they blow all logic out of the water. [:?]

Nick

My own experience with VS in the past few years is, ex-LHR they always follow your status, and often op-up have been decided before you got there, or if they knew likelihood they need to op-up, sometimes they will remind you to listen to annoucements in CH. Especially if you ask them nicely about the load on your flight when you check in (I would avoid bag drop, even I've done OLCI, worth to ask this questions in UC check in, and a simple question would delay passengers behind you that much). You only need to know the load in your cabin (Y or PE), but sometimes they do tell you how full UC is (or PE if you are in Y), which is always good to know. I've never meet anyone jumped two cabins from Y to UC in LHR, so you don't need to know the full load really.

Most of time, you would have a clear idea about the load, and know what you will expect. It only happened once to me that I've been told that the load is light, and I missed the annoucement in CH (while enjoy my lunch). Surprisingly when boarding at gate, the scanner can't read my boarding pass. Becasue my PE seat has already been assigned to someone else, and an UCS was waiting for me. They didn't even bother to change my boarding pass, just wrote the UCS seat number on it for me (so I was sitting in UCS with a PE boarding pass!).

When returning to London, it is a totally different story. I don't think most of ground staff understood the status very well, especially where there isn't a CH. I guess they won't be able to find you, even if they have a shared lounge.

For example, my experience in PVG and HKG are, they do not pre-allocate op-ups even they knew they will exceed the capacity.

I've done a lot fligths on those two routes, but so far never been op-up even once (although only did BA twice, had a two class op-up from Y to Business). With VS I've been told to check in as late as possible, becasue they only decide who to op-up during the last ten minutes. If you happen to check in at that time, they will op-up you first (regardless what class or what status you have) to avoid the trouble to find someone already in the airport.

So far, in the last 8 years, I've only seem once in PVG that they have a piece of hand written note with a list of names and calling passengers one by one at the gate - it was a very difficult thing to do in PVG. That was about 4 years ago. I guess that's why they give up that now.

That's just my experience with VS, happy to be corrected by someone fly with VS much more than me.

it is a mystery - sometimes when the flight is really full it seems to have been done in advance (happened when I flew back with the family from Boston in the past and we had 1 Au, 1 Ag and 1 red member booked together). Overseas with a clubhouse it tends to get done, and they call in the CH and I suppose if you aren't there, they will find you at the gate as your seat will have already been allocated. I think status helps, but sometimes friends and family may get preference!

It is a complete mystery. A friend with no status got an op up from Y to J on the way back from BOS in Feb. She couldn't believe her luck.

Certainly at BA they have a code in the reservations system called SFU and NSFU. At check in staff can manually put a passenger onto the SFU/NSFU list.

I did 26 sectors last year in PE and only 1 Op Up to UC, and that was because they had oversold the Boston flight, and I got there 2 hours beforehand.
Typically I get to the aiport 4 hours beforehand to spend time in the lounge, I am sure this limits my chances. Particulalry when you hear of upgrades of people with no status.

I think it is a case of being in the right place at the right time, which was the case for Op Up.

Originally posted by Snow
So far, in the last 8 years, I've only seem once in PVG that they have a piece of hand written note with a list of names and calling passengers one by one at the gate - it was a very difficult thing to do in PVG. That was about 4 years ago. I guess that's why they give up that now.

PVG still operates in much the same way. I flew back on a chokka oversold flight in April. They had a hand written note at the gate and as PAX went through, those on the list had their new seat number scrawled onto their boarding pass without a single word ushered to explain what was happening.

Personally I have given up trying to work out upgrades - it used be a regular 1 in 5 sector ratio almost like clockwork. It's now been 31 sectors (mostly with Au status) since my last Opup - including one upgrade and then downgrade once on the plane!

The strangest experience was about 4 years ago when my wife was travelling from MCO without me but with my daughter - who was just one at the time - on a reward ticket. As my daughter was sick they had had to postpone their return - on the flight back they were upgraded to J (only one seat but quite a feat).

FM

They have certainly cut back very heavily on op-ups as far as I can see. When I first turned gold from 6 years ago, I remember being upgraded (Premium to Upper) for 6 out of the next 7 flights. Recently, I think I've only had one in the last three years (flying approximately 10-16 sectors a year).

Speaking to others who have turned gold, I seriously wonder whether they prioritise op-ups towards those who have recently attained gold. Seems like a good marketing ploy aimed at those who have only recently started flying very frequently and/or in Premium to tempt them towards the front of the plane.

Either way, I have given up thinking about op-ups completely these days.

Then again, I sometimes wonder whether I did something to upset someone in VS at some stage because, despite it being mentioned here many times, I have never once been greeted as a gold FC member on the plane, never offered anything above bog standard service. What did I do !??

Chris

I've not had one op-up without asking for it, and on the two occasions I've been given free upgrades I was fully expecting to have to use the miles. I haven't hit on the right method either!!!

Cheers

Tony

Then again, I sometimes wonder whether I did something to upset someone in VS at some stage because, despite it being mentioned here many times, I have never once been greeted as a gold FC member on the plane, never offered anything above bog standard service. What did I do !??

Chris

I don't think you've been singled out at all - it's sadly a very random matter as to whether the cc go out of their way to make us feel welcome. I just returned from a busines trip in Australia, flew UC both ways and the standard of service varied from barely adequate to outstanding. In particular on the SYD-HKG leg the FSM spent the ENTIRE time pre-take-off talking to 2 VAA staff who were sitting in UC and she didn't make ANY effort to talk to/greet any other passengers at any time [V]- I did watch this very closely as it's a particular irritant for me.

On the HKG-SYD leg however, the FSM was simply outstandingly good, as was the cc member who was allocated to where I was sitting. The FSM was a model of professional customer service, and could not have done more to make my flight enjoyable [^](especially after the SYD-HKG leg - and I didn't say anything to anyone about the FSM's behaviour). So, in short I think it's the luck of the draw as to how well the cc treat the pax, it's certainly inconsistent, and for me that's the most annoying thing of all.[:(!]

I'm rarely given an OpUp at checkin anyway, normally afterwards in the CH as the flight fills up or circumstances change.

So I doubt, if you're AU, that OLCI will affect you're chances.

I'll check in in person if flying VS anyway as it's nice to speak to someone [:)]

Dean

Originally posted by cshore

Then again, I sometimes wonder whether I did something to upset someone in VS at some stage because, despite it being mentioned here many times, I have never once been greeted as a gold FC member on the plane, never offered anything above bog standard service. What did I do !??

The greeting of Aus by a FSM or CSM is now urban myth ...

I remember in the past, if you have a look at the cc working area between Upper and PE (is that called kitchen?), you may find every passenger's name with seat number plus status clearly specified there. Sometimes Gold memeber even been highlighted in colourful pen.

I am not sure whether this is still general practice for VS any more. If they do, it means they are ignoring AU all the time. I still don't think AU counts as large propotion of passengers, especially on certain routes like PVG and SYD. So why can't they treat us better?

(sorry, slightly out of the original topic)

In my opinion, if a flight is over sold, AU should be the only group be consider for op-up. Not anyone turn up at the right time, a friend of a VS staff, or a cc on holiday or taking a training course in London! At the end of the day, AU contributes a lot to VS.

I feel sick when I travel in Y (I don't often do now), and saw cc serving their on-holiday or on-the-way-to-training colleagues so well, and ignoring normal passengers, not even mention AU in Y.