My flight to Kuwait is departing in 3 days and I have just received an offer to upgrade from World Traveller to Club World for just under £400. I am an Executive Club Gold member and I want to know whether I should take the offer or wait and see if I get a free upgrade to business class on the day. Is it possible to be upgraded 2 classes from World Traveller to Club World for free? I am travelling on my own and have no special requests.
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Airlines generally offer last minute upgrades to business class when they are overbooked in lower cabins. In all likelihood, your flight is overbooked in both World Traveller (Economy) and World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and hence the offer. The airline will have to upgrade passengers on the day, but they would rather earn some extra money out of it if they can.
As a Gold member of the Executive Club programme, you are a priority for upgrade if the airline must upgrade people on the day free of charge (involuntary upgrade). If the flight is overbooked and no one takes up the paid upgrade offer, you will almost certainly be upgraded. However, you may not be upgraded to Club World (business class). Generally, an airline will try and limit upgrades to one cabin and this is certainly the policy at British Airways.
2 class upgrade from World Traveller to Club World on British Airways
If there are OneWorld loyalty club members in the premium economy cabin, they will most likely be upgraded to business class freeing up seats that allow the airline to upgrade you from Economy to Premium Economy. However, this not to say that an upgrade to Club World from World Traveller is not possible. As a Gold member, you are one of the elite loyal customers and highly valued by the airline. If there are no loyalty club members in Premium Economy then you could be upgraded directly to Club World- and this has happened to many of my clients. The chances of this happening are actually quite high- let me explain why:
- Premium Economy is often booked by families and an airline is much more likely to upgrade solo travellers than families
- Premium Economy is more popular with leisure travellers than business travellers and as a result, many of the passengers in the cabin may not have any status with the airline. As a result, you will jump ahead of them in terms of priority
- The airline may prefer to reward your loyalty by upgrading you from World Traveller to Club World rather than offering a silver or bronze member the upgrade to Club World from World Traveller Plus.
- Although technically a OneWorld Emerald status passenger in Premium Economy should be priority for upgrade over you, airlines have been protective of their own members over alliance members with the same status since the Covid pandemic started and as a result, the airline may opt to prefer you over a OneWorld frequent flyer
I know of Gold status clients that have been upgraded from World Traveller to First when flights have been overbooked. If I was you, I would wait until the day of departure and take my chances. If however you want the certainty of an upgrade, then £400 is not a bad price to pay for a confirmed seat in Club World.
