bridiej

Thought this may be of interest:

How to get a flight upgrade

It's flying's Holy Grail; “upgrade, upgrade, upgrade�. Often you hear of success, but there are no guaranteed rules (except paying for it), as it's the last thing airlines tell us.

What to do:

1. Be polite and friendly
Upgrades are usually at the discretion of check-in staff so a bit of flirtatious charm can go a long way.

2. Be subtle and discrete

Staff are unlikely to upgrade you if other customers are within earshot. “Have you got seats anywhere else on the plane?� is a rather nice way of asking for an upgrade, or alternatively request “an aisle seat next to the window!� – think about it!


3. Scrub up well

Staff will prioritise customers who look the part, so that rules out any jeans and beach wear - however much you're in the mood for a tropical holiday! There's no need to wear a full suit as this can be uncomfortable on long flights; smart trousers and a shirt should do it.

4. Join a frequent flier programme

If you're a frequent flier, then you should definitely consider becoming a member. After all they're completely free to sign up to and usually you'll be given priority over low fare economy ticket holders when upgrades are available or necessary.

5. Get friendly with staff

Having friends or family who work for the airline will always help. Also, if you regularly fly on the same route, get to know the staff and they'll be more likely to keep you in mind.

6. Avoid regular business hours

Flying during the working day obviously means more business people taking up seats and less opportunity for you to fill them. If possible, fly at the weekend or unusual hours to increase your chances.

7. Fly on planes with larger first class sections

It goes without saying the more first class seats there are, the more likely it is you'll get one. You can either check the airline's website or use a site like www.seatguru.com to investigate a specific plane's layout.

8. Get bumped off

Companies often over-book flights, especially in busy times like school holidays, and hope people will cancel or not turn up. Then they'll ask passengers to voluntarily fly on the next available flight and more than likely offer you an upgrade as well as compensation for the inconvenience.

9. Celebrate in style

If you're celebrating a special occasion like your honeymoon always let the staff know. A good tip is to take your marriage certificate with you so you can prove it. You never know, you may get lucky!

10. Use Frequent Flyer Miles

If you prefer a guaranteed way to travel in comfort without shelling out, you can always use your Frequent Flyer miles to top up the flight.

11. Ditch the family!

It's easier to get upgrades when you're travelling on your own. Families and groups aren't likely to be offered them.

12. Chat up the travel agent

Try and get the travel agent to annotate your booking with SFU (suitable for upgrade) or CIP (commercially important passenger), while it won't assure an upgrade, it should increase your chances.

13. Marry a pilot!

It speaks for itself!

What not to do

1. Be demanding

While it might work for celebrities, having an attitude isn't going to warm the staff to you and they'll be less inclined to give you an upgrade.

2. Undersell yourself

While this won't definitely secure you an upgrade, if you're a Doctor or Reverend, make sure you book with this on the ticket. Some peoples' experiences suggest this will help you on your way to getting a luxury seat.

The next best

If you don't rate your chances of getting an upgrade, there are ways to improve the likelihood of getting those much sought-after bulkhead seats with the big leg room. While airlines say these seats are only allocated on the day of flying, frequent flyers may actually be able to pre-book them.

If not, why not try checking in online? As well as saving time, you might be able to grab aisle or bulkhead seats this way. If you've a back injury, get a certificate from your doctor to help persuade staff at check-in. Be aware, though, to sit by an emergency exit you have to be deemed ‘physically fit'.

Also use the airline's website or an online guide to airline seating to compare the amount of leg room you get. For example, Air New Zealand offers their lucky passengers three inches more leg-room as standard compared to BA.

For a complete version of this article, and all other past Money Saving articles from Martin Lewis, please visit www.moneysavingexpert.com , the ad free, free to use, consumer revenge site.

wargod

Or........ Have a brother in law who works for an airline - that way you get cheap seats, an upgrade and a blind eye when your bags are over the limit !!!!!!

bridiej

That is the easier option!

Professional Princess

Oh to have an upgrade for thailand.

Im going to look a right twit with my hand strapped up.

Please Thai Airways, please upgrade me.

zx10r_aus

How polite do have to be to sit in the pilots seat?

Ialibu

About 15 years, with 5,000 hours and Command and Multi engine experience polite

PhilShila

Not a cat in hell's chance with BA - check-in staff are not allowed any discretion to offer upgrades. BA are the absolute tightest when it comes to free upgrades.

Phil

GinaUK

I just wouldn't have the nerve to ask for a free upgrade.

Gina

louise4

Bridie, can mine and your families all travel together, you can do the 'chatting up' of the travel agent and selling yourself and we can stand back and laugh .

storerg

I don't know, I have already had two upgrades to first this year with BA.

Carruss

Just borrow a set of cruthces and plastercast you leg......or to be totally sure do both ! ! !

R.

JohnAndNetta

Were these transatlantic flights by any chance?

We've only ever been upgraded twice - once with Emirates to Far East (on first leg) and once with Virgin when we got married. And we've been on hundreds of long haul scheduled flights. Seems like most people I know get their upgrades when going to America. We always politely ask, always dress nicely, and never have any luck. I think hubby must look like a terrorist. He's shaving his moustache off before we leave for Oz in Sept. Maybe that might help!

Netta

samnrob2

We got an upgrade with BA coming here to Oz three months ago - can be done!

R

Bengyboo

I believe upgrades are usually done at the gate, if needed, however the check-in staff may put a "suitable for upgrade" note in the system.

Also forget family/friend influence on BA, since some recent "cash for upgrade" issues it is now a sackable offence to try and exert influence.

steve99

The only upgrade I can recall was with BA and was done by the check in staff....
London to Miami, 1st leg of a trip round the world