Bidding on A Dream (and a Lie-Flat Seat)

With our Japan adventure just days away, Jen and I made a bold (okay, moderately bold) move yesterday

: we placed a bid through Japan Airlines’ upgrade program, hoping to trade our already-upgraded exit row economy seats for the sweet, sweet luxury of business class.

We submitted what we thought was a reasonable offer—not too stingy, not too extravagant. Just enough to say, “We’d love this, but we’re not made of yen.”

Then came the website’s cold, algorithmically-calculated response:

“Your chances of an upgrade: Poor.”

Not exactly confidence-inspiring, but hey—we’re still in the game. The bid is in, and nothing’s final yet. Until we get the final verdict, we’re free to dream of lie-flat seats, warm towels, and sipping miso soup at 35,000 feet.

And if it doesn’t happen? No regrets. Our exit row seats still beat being wedged in the middle of a five-across, and no upgrade can replace the feeling of stepping off that plane and into Tokyo for the first time. But I’ll admit it—we’re rooting for those seats.

Come on, JAL. Surprise us.