Iberia’s bidding for upgrades… how does it work?

In the near future, I have in my life a segment on Iberia.

Iberia Airbus A320 taxing at Barcelona Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond.

Well – it was a good idea at the time. Sadly, I won’t be aboard this little Airbus A320, but aboard an A330 for a transatlantic hop.

However, going through Iberia’s Manage My Booking took, I found something rather interesting – that I could bid for an upgrade:

Whereas British Airways (Iberia’s sister airline) offers Proactive Online UpGrade’s (POUG), Iberia seems to want to have competition of bidding for an upgrade. In this case, bidding for an upgrade between Madrid and Chicago O’Hare International.

So, €450 sounds great for a business class seat doesn’t it? Hold your horses. It’s a bidding game, not a buying game. In the case of my Madrid to Chicago flight, so the prices varies – as does the “intensity” of the bid. Here’s examples from my flight:

For €450, not very “intense” bidding

€525 gives a bit more of an intensity in the bidding war – but not that much…

More money = more chance it seems with four hammers selected and the price jumping to €675.

Near enough full price with a single segment up to €900.

Note that the bids are per segment only. Bidding is per segment too. If you choose to take part in the bidding war, you  can change your bid up to five days before you fly.

You find out if your bid was accepted four days before you fly.

And annoyingly, no bonus Avios or tier points as it seems to be related to your base fare according to a FlyerTalk thread.

Iberia has a FAQ here.

For those who want to bid on the cheap for a nicer seat on Iberia as well as gain access to business class facilities on the ground including lounge access, priority luggage and fast track lanes. In the air, it will be the business class product appropriate to the service.

For me €450 isn’t what I’d call bad. Considering a business class upgrade on United on a similar length segment was near enough €675 in the past – there is a lot of room here in the bidding war.

How confident you feel when you place a bid – like any auction – is the important thing. If you go in expecting to get a business class seat and fail to get an upgrade… you might be disappointed…

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