You can now bid for upgrades on British Airways flights

Cash bids for upgrades can now be made online.

More changes from BA, and I think this is for the better. BA has partnered with Plusgrade, a platform already used by Etihad, Lufthansa and Qantas. On selected flights, and that’s an important caveat, you can now participate in an auction to upgrade your seat.

What’s happening with upgrades on BA?

If any of your flights on a booking have been selected by BA (and there is no visbility on which routes are using this new upgrade system) then you can be part of an online upgrade auction.

The process is simple. Enter your booking reference and your last name on the Plusgrade website, and it will check the eligibility of all the segments of your booking.

You cannot use Avios to upgrade; this is a cash-only auction.

I think they’re missing a trick there, but I’m going to assume that Plusgrade can’t handle Avios.

Which routes is this for?

BA does not say. The routes are “Selected by British Airways” but they do note that they will be adding “more routes and partner airlines as they become available”. The expansion of this scheme will be based primarily on the revenue it generates, and secondarily on customer feedback.

To put it in simple terms, does this create more money for the airline versus other ways they could sell those seats? BA will be sitting on a raft of data that will help them decide routes, including the likelihood that they would sell that seat at the last minute (business-heavy routes would lean towards this) and how likely they are to sell an upgrade at the airport. You may have been offered a fixed price upgrade at the airport when you checked in, and BA will consider how often these are accepted on different routes.

This isn’t just for BA

If your BA booking contains segments operated by a oneworld partner then you may be able to bid to upgrade those. The plusgrade system will automatically determine if any of the segments on your booking (BA, or otherwise) are eligible for the upgrade auction.

Yes, you do get lounge access

If you’re successfully upgraded to a cabin that gives you lounge access then you will be entitled to that. You’ll also be able to access business class or first class security (if available in that airport) as well as the check-in process that’s related to the class you’re about to travel in.

Do you upgrade the entire flight, or just parts?

You can choose to bid on each segment in a booking, and the reality is that only some segments may allow upgrades. When you enter the bidding process, you will be shown which segments can be upgraded. You can also choose which segments you want to bid for.

What if you’re travelling with others?

Sensibly, the auction is for everyone on your ticket. When you bid for an upgrade, you’re bidding for everyone on your ticket for that particular segment.

What if I booked via a third party, like a travel agent?

If you have your BA booking reference, you can still check to see if you can enter an upgrade auction. It feels like you are more likely to miss out because BA hasn’t activated that route rather than where you made the original booking.

What are the terms of the upgrade process?

Firstly, you cannot cancel the upgrade if you have been successful. Given that the auction will end very close to your flight time, this shouldn’t be an issue for most people except in extreme circumstances. BA will refund you if your flight is cancelled.

Secondly, and somewhat strangely, your baggage allowance remains the same as the cabin you originally booked into. That means if you’re flying economy, you won’t be allowed to bring two cases as you normally would in Premium Economy.

You can only bid on upgrades if you have “reached the legal age of majority” in your country. Based on my years of travel and some of the interesting behaviour I have seen on planes, this could be any age. In reality, it probably means 16 or 18, and I doubt that they would check this as part of the upgrade process.

Finally, there’s a point in the T&Cs around meals. Whilst it feels unlikely, BA do say that “on some occasions” you will be served a meal onboard that’s from your original cabin. If you’re flying out of Heathrow, then British Airways’ ability to handle the extra meal in a higher cabin is sound. For outposts, it is less likely.

Step by step: How to start the upgrade process

• Step 1: Check which segments of your booking can be updated on the Plusgrade website.
• Step 2: Select which segments you want to bid for an upgrade on.
• Step 3: Place a bid. You can do this in GBP, Euros or US Dollars. You can increase your bid at any time.
• Step 4: Enter your credit card information. You will only be charged if you have been successful in the auction.
• Step 5: Await the outcome of the auction. Winner(s) will be notified 48 hours before the flight.

Is this a good thing?

It’s another way to get into a higher cabin, which can only be a good thing, but I’m unsure of how many people will engage with it more than once. Auctions come across as a great idea, but for every one person that succeeds on an upgrade (and I would assume that there will sometimes be more than one winner) there will be a number of people who don’t win the auction.

That level of disappointment can lead to people disengaging from this opportunity in the future. Thinking you might end up in Premium Economy, but staying stuck in a World Traveller seat is a negative experience. If you read some of the Plusgrade reviews, you’ll see that travellers do get frustrated with the process.

Expanding this to allow bidding using Avios points would, I think, soften the auction process. Bidding with points, for example bidding on experiences with the Qatar Privilege Club, doesn’t feel quite as real as with cash.