Strategies for Scoring Airline Upgrades
- Frequent fliers are usually the first people to receive an upgrade.airplane image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
After enduring flights on crowded, fully booked airplanes, most passengers want to be upgraded from economy class to a business or first-class seat. From being on your best manners and dressing the part to using frequent flier miles and choosing flight times carefully, travelers can increase their luck in scoring an upgrade and enjoying the enhanced service and leg room. - Elite members of an airline are usually the first people to receive free upgrades, according to USA Today's columnist David Grossman, a former airline industry executive and avid business traveler. If a passenger wants to be bumped up to a better seat, she will have better luck if she signs up with an airline's reward program and accrues frequent flier miles. Mileage can also be cashed in to receive a flight upgrade on most airlines.
- Being rude to airline personnel will never increase the likelihood of getting upgraded. It is important to ask for an upgrade politely and not hound the representatives. Showing kindness to strangers, such as swapping seats with a family or a person with special needs, will give you a better chance of being upgraded, the USA Today article advises. Also, rather than asking for an upgrade directly, The Times, based in the United Kingdom, recommends that passengers take a different approach such as asking for a seat close to the front to because they are afraid of turbulence.
- With smaller planes and less seats to move to, it is always important to ask early for an upgrade. Passengers should check online or with a reservation agent before coming to the airport or arrive early to check in and ask immediately for an upgrade, recommends USA Today.
- ticket image by CORRADO RIVA from Fotolia.com
Airlines are more likely to upgrade people who have purchased full-fare tickets. Also, it's easier to get an upgrade on days when there are less business clients, such as Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday or on holidays, according to USA Today. - Dressing up for a flight can help get an upgrade.kragen image by Daniel Fuhr from Fotolia.com
If passengers want to sit in first or business class, they should look the part. Experts at The Times advise that everyone should wear nice footwear, and men should try to wear a collar and chinos, and women should avoid jeans and tracksuits.
