VA Economy to PE upgrade I'm placing a bid for a family member to be upgraded from economy to PE on VA to go to LAX in Feb.

VA Economy to PE upgrade

I'm placing a bid for a family member to be upgraded from economy to PE on VA to go to LAX in Feb. PE is listed at $1600 one way on their website. Economy was bought at $1100 return. What is a reasonable offer?

You'll probably only have one chance, so make it count.. Presume you have been sent an invite to make the offer, does it give an indication range showing what price has a good, or even better chance at succeeding.  I have previously been invited by Etihad to do this on times, and I went from Business to First Class. Its a wonderful way of rewarding brand loyalty. I'd try at least another $550, you won't be sorry if you get it.

When you go into the bidding page, you will see an indicator showing a range of what will be a weak offer to strong offer etc. There are several factors that go into the approval of a bid such as the flight loads, velocity status, amount offered, original booking class etc. One of the things that really makes a difference is the velocity status where there is a weight applied if you are a Platinum versus Red. Therefore, its sensible to make an offer on the stronger side if you are Red, but you can still feel confident with an offer on the weaker side if you are Platinum and there is still good availability in the upgraded cabin. I personally have used the bidding system about a dozen times and as a Platinum, I only   offer the minimum amount allowed and I have been upgraded every time except for two times when the upgraded cabin was full. I now just use points and waitlisting at the very least which is available only to Platinum and Gold on LAX/AUH flights.