How To Get an Airline Upgrade on Your Flight
| A free airline upgrade to business class or first class is the holy grail for many travellers. We all want to buy a dirt cheap discount economy ticket and then get upgraded or 'bumped up' a class. After all, who doesn't want the free airport lounge access, flat seats and superior service. |
Unfortunately these days, operational upgrades (or "op-ups") are a rarity and you only have a very small chance of getting one. Here are a few basic tips for slightly increasing your likelihood of getting that upgrade:
1. Become a member of your airline's frequent flyer program and try to reach 'elite status'. Top-tier frequent flyers will generally have priority over normal passengers when it comes to getting upgraded on an operational basis. Some loyalty programs give elite members automatic upgrades on US domestic flights; others give out a limited amount of upgrade vouchers which can be redeemed on flights.
2. If you are on the lookout for one of the scarce op-ups then
***Try to fly on wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 747 / 777 or Airbus A340 / A380 with plenty of premium cabin seating. Business class seats on standard narrow body planes like the 737 are not much better than economy and are in short supply. Some airlines have convertible seats on short-haul flights which can be configured to business or economy.
***Don't expect an op-up by flying from your carrier's main hub if it is a major airport. You will be competing against many other frequent flyer members so your chance of a free upgrade is minimal. For example, it is very difficult to get a free upgrade with British Airways if flying out of London Heathrow.
***Book a flight that is more likely to have a full (or overbooked) economy class section but an empty business class cabin. Flights just before a holiday period can come under this category as business travel recedes. You can use flight availability tools on the web to check the loads on a specific flight a few days before to assess your chances.
***Travelling alone will give you a higher chance of upgrade than being in a group. Travelling with children reduces your chance to almost zero.
***Don't order a special meal as these cannot be upgraded with you. Airline meal numbers are tightly controlled and an airline would rarely serve an economy meal in business class.
***Check-in Online as the airline knows you will be on the flight and may need to pre-upgrade some passengers before they arrive at the airport.
***Book a premium economy ticket. There are a number of airlines which have premium economy seating - British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand, Qantas, SAS, bmi, ANA, Garuda Indonesia, Eva Airways and China Airlines. The number of premium economy seats are limited and you are deemed as a higher revenue passenger. Any potential overspill from an overbooked economy cabin could result in an upgrade to business class.
3. Do get to know your airline's ticket tariff notation - some discount economy tickets are non-upgradeable. There may be an upgradeable tariff which is available for only a small extra cost.
In the US some airlines offer domestic economy fares called Y-UP, K-UP or Q-UP which actually book into first class. They can be found by searching for discounted first fares.
4. If you are genuinely on your honeymoon then contact the airline in advance and get a note put in your booking. Ask again at the airport - you have nothing to lose and honeymoon couples have been known to get upgrades. (Anecdotal evidence: a Dutch reader confirmed he and his wife got lucky and were upgraded on their honeymoon on a KLM flight between Amsterdam and Caracas). Honeymooners are much more likely to get a hotel room upgrade than an airline upgrade though.
5. How about the old cliché advice of dressing well in 'smart casual' or business attire? Well it won't harm your chances, especially if you are pre-selected for an upgrade beforehand and the airline then decides you look the part.
Dressing up was popular "advice" in the 1970s / 80s and may have worked better back then. Today dressing smart will only infinitesimally increase your chances of upgrade. The fact is every week thousands of people turn up at London Heathrow with an economy class ticket dressed to the nines - and 99.99% still end up at the back of the bus.
6. If you are offloaded from an overbooked flight you should ask to be upgraded on the re-booked flight.
7. The world's top secret for guaranteeing you sit in business class every time...buy a business class ticket! This almost never fails unless you get downgraded or offloaded. You will earn more miles and status points which can only help you in the future get more business class flights.
Alternatively you could try to purchase an upgrade using frequent flyer points if there is availability. Sometimes airlines offer upgrades for cash at the airport.
8. If you are serious about flying in business class but only have an economy credit-crunch budget then you should consider investing in the Ultimate Airfares & Upgrades Guide. This must-read guide contains many insider tips and tricks for finding the world's very lowest airfares in any class. Learn how you could save up to 55% off business class airfares, get free airport lounge access, a detailed look at airline upgrades and much, much more.
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