Ethiopian Airlines is introducing a new programme that will give passengers the option to bid for an upgrade from economy class to business class.
Eligible passengers who have booked an economy class ticket will be invited to bid via email, but they can also submit an offer online. Bids can be edited and retracted up to 50 hours before the scheduled departure time of the flight. After that, the bid becomes binding.
Prior to the flight departure, Ethiopian will select the passengers to be upgraded to Cloud Nine. Selection criteria will take into account the bid amount, original ticket price as well as other criteria including the number of seats available in Cloud Nine and the number of bids that have already been placed.
All passengers who have placed a bid will receive an email notification within 24 hours prior to departure informing them whether or not the bid has been accepted. If their bid is accepted, the credit card on file will be charged with the corresponding amount and they will also receive an updated e-ticket. If the bid is not accepted, passengers will fly in economy class as planned and will not incur any additional cost.