How immediate upgrade on board ITA Airways works
ITA Airways has launched the new "Immediate Upgrade" service, dedicated to passengers who want to travel in a class of travel [...]
ITA Airways
SkyTeam
ITA Airways has launched the new service "Immediate Upgrade", dedicated to passengers who want to travel in a higher class of travel than the one booked. The service is available now On all routes where there is business class or superior. It obviously makes no sense on domestic routes, Where the quality of the seats and the catering service is not worth the expense, while It might make sense to fly on the new A321neo, or intercontinental always at the right price.
In this article:
Passengers will have no limits and can buy any seat (if available) regardless of their orginal ticket. This means that one will be able to jump from economy to business, even if there is premium economy.
How to evaluate the "right price"
The best bonuses
A few factors should be kept in mind before clicking "buy now."
- The original ticket price paid and the cost of the same leg in business at the time of purchase. Any extra amount must by no means exceed the original price, in fact it must be considerably less
- You lose any extras incurred in the original booking such as choice of place
- It is not a comparable ticket. Not only do you take "what's left over," but you will not accumulate the bonuses of the new travel class, but of the one you originally bought. So no extra baggage and you will not have access to the lounge
- The accumulation of fly points Will be based on the purchased booth and not the upgrade booth
With these premises in mind you have to do the math and evaluate how interesting it is, or not, spending more rather than participating in the auction.
How the instant upgrade works
Starting 72 hours before flight departure, ITA Airways customer already holding a ticket in Economy Class or Premium Economy will be able to take advantage of the new service by purchasing the upgrade and accessing the services and amenities of the higher class (Business or Premium Economy).
In detail, the customer will immediately be upgraded to the higher class subject to seat availability. On the day of departure when you check in, you will receive a boarding pass for Premium Economy or Business Class depending on the upgrade purchased.
The new service "Immediate Upgrade" enriches the ITA Airways upgrade offer and adds to the following already active modes:
- Upgrade with offer: The customer can access the service through the ITA Airways official website Making an offer for the amount you intend to pay to fly In Superior, Premium Economy or Business class.
- Upgrade at the airport: the customer can also upgrade at the airport, two hours to forty minutes before the departure of their flight depending on the country of departure.
At the moment there is still a lack of the ability to use Flying points to pay for the upgrade, but it is not certain that with this new feature we can get around cash payment using points. I have asked for specific info and am waiting for a response.
No lounge access
Reading what was written On ITA's site the immediate upgrade generates a "B" business class ticket since it does not provide for lounge use, while guaranteeing express services at the airport, but it also does not change the rules for luggage.
Things to know
- It is necessary, as the first thing, Failure to check in for the flight
- Immediate Upgrade is carried out Per flight leg and for all customers in the reservation and is a service available only for flights operated by ITA Airways
- The possibility of receiving the Upgrade depends on availability in the Class above the Class of purchase i.e. Business, Premium Economy or Superior
- The amount paid for the Immediate Upgrade. non-refundable, as well as the services associated with booking
- Not all fares can take advantage of the service
In conclusion
This new service can be found on many other carriers, Is generally more expensive than what the auction costs, but unlike the uncertainty of enchantment it offers the typical "buy it now" function found on Ebay. Lufthansa also has a similar system e I've often been able to snag some nice tickets Monitoring the progress of the bids. I am surprised that it precludes lounge access for business class passengers, which is not the case with other carriers offering this service.