A new system introduced by Singapore Airlines (SIA) will allow selected customers to bid for upgrades to the seats they have booked, the national carrier announced in a notice to members of its loyalty club Krisflyer on Wednesday (Jul 6). 

Invitations to bid on the new system, mySQupgrade, "are made at Singapore Airlines’ sole discretion based on certain criteria and combination of factors, which are dynamic" and invited customers will receive an email seven days before departure, the national carrier said on its website. 

The system will initially allow invited customers booked to travel in Economy Class to bid for seats in Premium Economy Class, but the company said it plans to gradually introduce this function across the network. 

Passengers who receive invitations can bid for upgrades on their eligible flights online, within an assigned minimum and maximum bid value for that flight, and change their bids up to 50 hours prior to the departure of the flight. The bid values shown are for each passenger but apply to all passengers in the relevant booking, SIA said.

A "strength meter" on the page will indicate the strength of the bid, but this does not mean the bid will necessarily be successful as it is subject to seat availability and decided at SIA's discretion, the company said. No information on the average amount of previous successful bids will be shown either.

"To maximise your chance of being upgraded, do consider bidding the highest amount you are willing to pay," the national carrier said on its website.  

If the bid is unsuccessful, passengers will retain their original seats and there will be no charge. If successful, the bidders will be notified 48 hours before the departure time via email and charged by credit card, the carrier explained. 

In its notice to Krisflyer members, SIA said redemption booking confirmations would receive priority over upgrade bids through mySQupgrade.