Airtran A+ Rewards Business Class Upgrade question

[TaraPA]

For anyone who has redeemed A+ Rewards points for the business class upgrade voucher - I have some questions!

I had 4 A+ points that will expire in 2 weeks. Since I don't have enough total for a 1-way free flight, I decided to redeem them for a business class upgrade voucher, rather than to lose them. I have a round-trip flight booked on Airtran for March, but when I go to the seating chart for both legs, it shows the business class seats are all reserved. I'm assuming I'm out of luck with those flights. My voucher doesn't expire for 1 year, and I will have future Airtran flights in 2011. I guess my question is - how hard is it to use the upgrade voucher - there seem to be a limited number of business class seats on each flight, and I'm sure they sell out quickly.

When I book my next Airtran flights can I enter the voucher number at booking to try & use it to choose seats - or is it something I do after-the-fact? I tried to read the fine print online & I thought it said that the voucher could only be redeemed up to 1-day prior to departure...???? If that's the case I don't see there ever being business class seats available since there are so few of them. No? I must be missing something here, someone please clue me in!

 

[momof2disprincesses]

I'm not sure about using the points to upgrade, but almost every Air Tran flight I've ever been on (and its LOTS), they are asking at the gate for people to pay to upgrade to business class. I doubt they are all filled up.

Call Air Tran and ask them. Use the prompt for A+ reward members.

 

[Traveliz]

I'm not sure about using the points to upgrade, but almost every Air Tran flight I've ever been on (and its LOTS), they are asking at the gate for people to pay to upgrade to business class. I doubt they are all filled up.

Call Air Tran and ask them. Use the prompt for A+ reward members.

Right now they are offering "free" upgrades to Elite so the business class is filling up much faster than usual.

But that said it is a limited offer - I would go ahead and redeem for the voucher - I have never not been able to use one.

Liz

 

[dkbayne]

When we used our a+ vouchers to upgrade they were only good 24 hours in advance, not when the flight was booked.
You have to call to use them at the 24 hour mark. If I remember correctly I called a few hours before the 24 hour mark and they let me upgrade using the rewards.

 

[TaraPA]

Thanks everyone! dkbayne - that's what the website said - to call 24 hours prior to departure with the voucher - it just seemed odd to me, but if that's how they do it, that's how they do it!

 

[Starr W.]

Right now they are offering "free" upgrades to Elite so the business class is filling up much faster than usual.

But that said it is a limited offer - I would go ahead and redeem for the voucher - I have never not been able to use one.

Liz

Only time I've not been able to upgrade was on a DTW-MCO flight on a Saturday during spring break. Funny thing no problem upgrading on the MCO-DTW leg, the following Saturday.

 

[TaraPA]

So even though online when I go to choose a seat it shows all 12 Business Class seats as "reserved" for both legs, that may not actually be the case? Maybe because I only paid for coach, it blocks out the Business Class seats as a choice.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Traveliz]

So even though online when I go to choose a seat it shows all 12 Business Class seats as "reserved" for both legs, that may not actually be the case? Maybe because I only paid for coach, it blocks out the Business Class seats as a choice.

Thanks everyone!

It depends - they may be darkened out for you because you are not eligible to choose them - let me look now at a flight I have upcoming and check. Ok I have a flight coming up and I am almost positive it would not be sold out in business class - anyway it is all grayed out for me and I assume that is because I am not eligible to choose Business Class with my coach fare now - but will be available at upgrade time.

Liz

 

[TaraPA]

Thanks for checking Traveliz! I guses I'll just not expect anything but be very happy if there's room to use my voucher when I call the day before!

 

[Inkmahm]

Thanks for checking Traveliz! I guses I'll just not expect anything but be very happy if there's room to use my voucher when I call the day before!

Go through reservations online at Airtran to look at the flight you are on as if you are booking a business class ticket. Before you actually buy the ticket you have a chance to select your seats. That will show you how many business class seats are really open or taken.

I use our rewards to upgrade to business all the time. I can call at midnight of the day before the flight. In other words, if my 24 hour mark for a 2 pm flight on Thursday is 2 pm on Wednesday, then I call Tuesday night/Wed morning at midnight.

 

[TaraPA]

Go through reservations online at Airtran to look at the flight you are on as if you are booking a business class ticket. Before you actually buy the ticket you have a chance to select your seats. That will show you how many business class seats are really open or taken.

I use our rewards to upgrade to business all the time. I can call at midnight of the day before the flight. In other words, if my 24 hour mark for a 2 pm flight on Thursday is 2 pm on Wednesday, then I call Tuesday night/Wed morning at midnight.

GREAT idea - now why didn't I think of that?!?! It shows only 2 seats reserved on my flight down, and all are open on the way home. Yay!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Go through reservations online at Airtran to look at the flight you are on as if you are booking a business class ticket. Before you actually buy the ticket you have a chance to select your seats. That will show you how many business class seats are really open or taken.

.

That does NOT mean that there are that many seats.. only that there are those seats to chose from. If someone has paid for a business class fare and not selected thier seat you won't know it.

Seat maps are NOT indicators of avaialbe space on a plance.

 

[Inkmahm]

That does NOT mean that there are that many seats.. only that there are those seats to chose from. If someone has paid for a business class fare and not selected thier seat you won't know it.

Seat maps are NOT indicators of avaialbe space on a plance.

Makes sense, but probably not very likely. If someone is going to pay the way too high fares for business class on Airtran, they are likely to pick their seat, too. At least in business class, I think the seat map is a pretty good indicator even if it may not be perfect.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Makes sense, but probably not very likely. If someone is going to pay the way too high fares for business class on Airtran, they are likely to pick their seat, too. At least in business class, I think the seat map is a pretty good indicator even if it may not be perfect.

I fully agree, Ink.

 

[Bronte]

Does anyone know if I can use my points to upgrade someone else (parents) to business class?

Thanks

 

[TaraPA]

I know you can transfer or gift points to someone else for a fee - but not sure if there's a way to do it without paying.

I just wanted to report back that I called at 12:07am the day before my fight & was easily able to use my cert for the upgrade.

Everything went very smoothly except for the fact that there was a "First Class Crasher" onboard! LOL!! She was supposed to be back in coach but felt she could sit wherever she wanted (and let the flight attendant know that!) It was quite bizarre, she either was on something or had a few screws loose, because sometimes she'd blurt out the strangest things, other times just stare out the window totally ignoring the FA. It came down to she wasn't moving & the FA asked for either a CC to pay for the upgrade & free drinks she had, or he would stand there to escort her back to her seat. She crawled out of the seat (over the next one) and went into the bathroom for TWENTY minutes! I think she really thought they'd forget about her if she just hid out for awhile. It was so strange! When she came out the FA was right there waiting to take her back to her seat. She stomped all the way back like a child! When we landed she was out of her seat & up at the door before they even had the unfasten seatbelt sign on. She FLEW off that plane & went running through the airport.

 

[Traveliz]

I know you can transfer or gift points to someone else for a fee - but not sure if there's a way to do it without paying.

I just wanted to report back that I called at 12:07am the day before my fight & was easily able to use my cert for the upgrade.

Everything went very smoothly except for the fact that there was a "First Class Crasher" onboard! LOL!! She was supposed to be back in coach but felt she could sit wherever she wanted (and let the flight attendant know that!) It was quite bizarre, she either was on something or had a few screws loose, because sometimes she'd blurt out the strangest things, other times just stare out the window totally ignoring the FA. It came down to she wasn't moving & the FA asked for either a CC to pay for the upgrade & free drinks she had, or he would stand there to escort her back to her seat. She crawled out of the seat (over the next one) and went into the bathroom for TWENTY minutes! I think she really thought they'd forget about her if she just hid out for awhile. It was so strange! When she came out the FA was right there waiting to take her back to her seat. She stomped all the way back like a child! When we landed she was out of her seat & up at the door before they even had the unfasten seatbelt sign on. She FLEW off that plane & went running through the airport.

Oh my gosh - so you had a "show" in business class that flight! That is really bizarre!

Liz

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

After I read the OP I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and get a voucher using DH's points since one would expire during our trip if we aren't able to upgrade on the leg to MCO. I requested the voucher Sunday and received a confirmation that it had been requested, but I don't have an e-mail containing any sort of voucher number. It said it takes 1-2 days. Will there be another e-mail?

Also, is it necessary to redeem the points for a voucher first, or can you call and upgrade with the points in your account?

 

[AndreaDM]

My husband sucessfully used his points to upgrade me on a flight last month without a fee, he wasn't even on the flight with me. He just called at the 24 hour mark and they did it with no problem. Nothing like coming back from a trip and having an upgrade!!

I think if you call, they can take your points and turn them into an upgrade. The only time we did it online was because points were about to expire unless we redeemed them for something so we got the upgrade voucher # to use on a later flight.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Keep in mind that if upgrading with points, you can call at midnight, or later, of the day preceding your flight. Example...flight is Wed 8 AM, you could call for upgrade/checkin at midnight of Mon/Tues.