AUSTRIAN has announced a new program that will allow passengers the opportunity to bid for a Business Class seat via auction. The new program is available to any passenger booked on a long haul flight that is operated by Austrian.
The process is simple, passengers can place their bids online and will be informed with 72 hours of their scheduled departure if their bid was accepted and if they will be seated in Business Class for their flight.
Successful bidders will have access to all the perks afforded with a Long Haul business class ticket including:
Enhanced DO&CO dining options.
Luggage allowances afforded to Business Class travelers.
Credit for Business Class miles in a passenger’s Miles&More account.
Business Class Check-In.
Conditions exist for this new concept:
The ticket has to be a revenue ticket (i.e. Economy award tickets are not eligible).
ALL Economy Class fares are eligible.
The auction is per segment/flight. If you have multiple long haul flights on one AUSTRIAN itinerary, you will need to bid for a seat on each flight.
The auction does not apply to short-haul or medium-haul business class seats.
So long, the already sparse award inventory!
Good point! I wonder what acceptable minimum bids will be. I assume you won’t be able to buy an upgrade for €25!
VERY curious to see what the going rates end up being!