When it comes to air travel, most every passenger yearns to hear the magic word: upgrade. A drink even before the plane takes off, meals with actual silverware and the joy of not having to share the armrest with a stranger – simply stated, the perks of first and business class. I got my taste for this style of travel completely by accident when American Airlines upgraded me due to an oversold flight. And my luck of getting upgrades has continued for a myriad of reasons. Here are my tips for moving to the front of the plane:
Elite Status: A little loyalty goes a long way, especially in this day in age where airlines are continually adding fees and taking perks away left and right. One group of people has been relatively unaffected. In fact, they have been catered to even more! Who are they? Elite flyers — those who have earned status with an airline from meeting mileage thresholds within a defined period of time. I have been elite for five years now and life is good. In addition to the on-the-ground perks like priority lines and no baggage fees, I often get bumped up to first class, even when flying internationally, due to oversold flights and empty seats in business class. How can you get to elite? Pick an airline to fly with (remember, you can fly their partner airlines and earn miles too, in most cases), find out what the threshold is (total miles flown or segments, typically) and then get moving! There are often other promotions affiliated with credit cards that can help you earn additional miles for your elite status.
Fare class: When you ticket a flight, you may notice a letter indicating your fare class. Airlines have a variety of fares from deeply discounted to full-fare first class. Within the economy cabin, the ticket with the most seniority is full-fare economy and offers you the ability to make changes without a fee. This privilege, of course, comes at a price. But, it does look the most tempting to a gate agent who needs to select a passenger to upgrade. Combine a higher fare with elite status and you are golden!
Day & Time: When you fly can also have an impact on the upgrade status. Monday and Thursday are probably the heaviest business travel days which have both an advantage and disadvantage. You may have an oversold flight which could prompt them to upgrade more but you probably have a long list of frequent flyer ahead of you. Less people fly on days like Wednesday and Saturday which could mean more seat availability. In these cases, you may find airlines offering rock-bottom deals to upgrade your seat.
Flexibility: When you’re flexible, good things usually come. Give up your seat on an oversold flight and the airline will give you compensation for a future flight and maybe even upgrade you as a way to say thanks. Or, if you are okay routing through a different hub, opportunities can also await. I have had this happen to me once before. My mom and I were flying from San Francisco to Singapore via Hong Kong. As we waited in the check-in line, they made an announcement asking if anyone had a final destination other than Hong Kong. We raised our hand and they asked us if we’d be willing to go through Tokyo instead and be upgraded to business class the entire way. Oh course, we didn’t mind!
Look the part: I used to dress in tracksuits or pajamas to go to the airport. No one took me seriously in the business traveler world. Then, in about 2005, I decided to re-invent “Airport Kristina.” This overhaul included wearing actual clothing (something that is comfy but looks put together), applying make-up and putting some effort into my hair and trading my backpack in for a roller-bag. All of the sudden, I slowly began being accepted into the world of frequent flyer. Not only does it help with upgrades but it also helps me look legit when I am in the airport lounges which I now regularly patronize.
Written by DIWYY’s Kristina Wegscheider who regularly enjoys free upgrades thanks to her airline loyalty.
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I *LOVE* AA and I love to travel business or First – And the best way to get it is to be loyal to the airline….Be a true frequent flyer with them and before yo know it, you will accrue enough points to only fly in those front row seats – and let me tell you, it makes ALL the difference to fly to Europe or Asia in FIRST or BUSINESS!
@Farnoosh – Yep, we agree…the key to free upgrades is loyalty!
I have been upgraded to first class twice over the last couple of years. All I do is ask the person at the gate if there are any open seats in first, and I usually let them know that I am traveling alone. I also agree with "looking the part" ever since I figured out how easy it was to upgrade I have put an extra effort in looking put together when flying.
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