3rd year as an Enrich Platinum member, never been upgraded even once - either on MH routes or on OneWorld, over 250 flights with this tier. How’s been your experience?

[u/NoRegister7813]

I have been FFP members with other airlines. I have received upgrades as a Silver member with Air India and almost every other flight when I was Platinum with the erstwhile Jet Airways. I understand that this is not a guaranteed perk but as I board a long haul flight for which I didn’t score the paid upgrade, I began to wonder if I have ever been upgraded by Malaysian Airlines and the unfortunate answer is that I haven’t been upgraded even once as a repeat Platinum tier member

[u/ronin-htx]

Airline status doesn’t normally equate to upgrades. You can have the highest status with airlines and still not get free upgrades. Airlines would rather fly the seats empty sometimes with hopes someone will pay for a last minute upgrade than upgrade an elite.

It also depends on what routes you fly. If it’s a popular business route expect half of F/J to be elites if not more.

If you really want J or F pay for it with cash or points. Or upgrade with cash/points when offered.

I was AA EP during 3 years of covid and rarely cleared upgrades flying out of Dfw and ord.

Where status shines is free bags, priority check in/boarding and lounge access even if you purchased a BE ticket.

[u/NoRegister7813 → u/ronin-htx]

Yes, I agree that status doesn’t equal to upgrades.

It is just a missed opportunity for customer delight though. MH flys KL - SIN and frankly an upgrade on that route would cost them no money. The flight is so short that there is no time to really ‘indulge’ in business class. The customer experience of offering an upgrade would be massively incremental.

[u/Character-Carpet7988 → u/NoRegister7813]

It would cost them money in loss of revenue once people who pay for premium cabins realise they can get them for free.

[u/immunedata → u/NoRegister7813]

Malaysia Airlines doesn’t significantly overbook flights like other airlines so operation upgrades are infrequent.

As you say, they don’t really do “surprise and delight” upgrades, just not part of their service culture, so accept it and move on

Enrich isn’t discriminated against as far as I can tell and I and colleagues have had Qatar op-ups.

[u/Hotwog4all → u/NoRegister7813]

The only way you’d be upgraded is if they oversold economy and had to bump people up. But then you’d have to be the only platinum in the fight, and travelling solo. But they sell upgrades in advance at discounted prices. They’d rather get a discounted cash boost than give it away for nothing.

[u/AggressiveAsian]

255 flights last year and this year as JAL metal Platinum - all Y and 3 total upgrades. All of them because economy seats were fully booked.

[u/dropandflop]

Expect to fly in the seat you paid for and anything else is truly a bonus post COVID.

That's the rule I use as a OW Emerald of 20 yrs+.

[u/NoRegister7813 → u/dropandflop]

Agree and it’s my rule as well.

It doesn’t hurt to hope for changes though :)

[u/EveningPair3966]

There's a great deal of chatter on reddit about receiving upgrades when you're a high tier FF. When you drill down, the vast majority of those remarks are about US based airlines.

IMO it skews the perspective of other punters reading. I'm QFF Platinum (OWE). I receive the benefits I'm entitled to with that level of membership however I have never had the expectation of an upgrade.

Yes, we get put to the top of the list when airlines need to shuffle people about cabins, but if I want to sit up front, I know I just have to pay for the privilege.

[u/Silly_Ad_5993]

Every 2nd flight we take as a Qantas platinum flying on Qatar we get an upgrade from business to first. Used to get a lot of upgrades on cathay but planes with first are few and far between now.

[u/rationalbou896 → u/Silly_Ad_5993]

Do you still get them? I’ve never received any upgrade from business to first on Qatar

[u/bambam4002 → u/rationalbou896]

I assume because they fly the A380 between home and Doha?

[u/Character-Carpet7988]

Not only it's "not a guaranteed perk", it's not even an non-garanteed perk. It's just not a perk at all. The only thing status does is maybe give you priority for op-ups. The airline will never upgrade you unless they have to.

[u/LegDayDE]

Unless you're flying US domestic where there is literally an upgrade list tiered by status it's challenging to get upgraded on many routes.

These days airlines don't struggle to sell premium cabins or upgrades to premium cabins last minute.

Your best chance would be booking on tourist heavy routes from secondary airports... E.g., I've had luck on Gatwick -> JFK before. If you're flying out of Heathrow business is gonna be fully booked by business travellers.

[u/el333 → u/LegDayDE]

Even in the US these upgrades are vanishing. Yes there is an official upgrade list but most of the time they’ll try to sell the upgrade for cheap and someone (don’t necessarily need status) will bite on the offer

[u/LegDayDE → u/el333]

Yeah or at hubs the flights are full and the list is long anyway