How to get a flight upgrade

You’re about to check in for a long-haul flight and the thought of having your legs bunched around your ears in economy for 12 hours is enough to make you weep.

A bit of charm is essential; if you get stroppy, you’ll end up in the seat that doesn’t recline next to the toilets- Helen Raine

The passengers breezing through the business class check-in are filling you with envy, but there’s no way your meagre budget will stretch to the thousands for an upgrade. So is it possible to get yourself into the luxurious business class cabin for an economy fare?

Well, mostly not; unless you’ve got the cash, you can usually resign yourself to your fate in cattle class. But there are a few tricks I’ve learnt working in the travel industry which might wangle you an elusive upgrade; to keep your sanity as you circumnavigate the globe, it’s worth giving them a try.

Buy the most expensive economy fare at a busy period

If the flight is full, you have half a chance of getting upgraded. Most airlines take into account how much you paid for your ticket in the first place, so a more expensive fare might get you within reach of the fine wines and linen table cloths.

I purchased a premium economy ticket from British Airways and then got upgraded to business class for a trip to Bermuda; eight hours of luxurious travel for less than a quarter of the price of a business class flight.

Some airlines, particularly in America, also sell economy tickets at a higher price which give you a guaranteed priority for an upgrade if there is space in business class; it’s a risk, but sometimes it pays off.

Travel alone: kids will count you out

Let’s face it, no one wants to pay thousands for a first class ticket and then get stuck next to a whining toddler. Kids are pretty much a deal breaker on the upgrade front, so if you’re travelling with the family, it’s probably not even worth asking.

Sign up to the loyalty scheme

If economy class is oversold and upgrades are necessary, naturally the airline will look to move its best customers first. Sign up for bonus promotions, use a credit card which gets you additional miles and fly with the same airline as often as you can.

Ultimately, if you travel frequently, you’ll earn enough points for a legitimate upgrade and can stop hovering around the boarding gates looking hopeful.

Be nice

If you explain nicely why you’d like an upgrade, it can help. If you’ve had a bad experience such as a long delay previously, ask the airline booking agent to put a note in the booking and then mention it at check-in and boarding. A bit of charm is essential though; if you get stroppy, you’ll end up in the seat that doesn’t recline next to the toilets.

Once you’re on the plane, the flight crew themselves are unlikely to upgrade you (and in some cases are not allowed to) unless....

If they ask you to move, grab your stuff and go

If families have been split up, or passengers with special needs require your seat, the cabin crew might ask you to move. You could end up wedged between two perspiring heavyweights for 12 hours; on the other hand, if the flight is busy, you might be transported forwards to a flat bed, champagne and strawberries.

Agree to move and keep your fingers crossed. When the man next to me graciously agreed to switch seats on a long-haul flight so that my husband could sit with our baby and me, we wistfully watched him being whisked behind the blue dividing curtain at the front of the plane.

Volunteer to be bumped off the flight

When flights are oversold, the boarding agents will request volunteers to wait for the next flight. You are usually offered a financial incentive in the form of airline vouchers, as well as accommodation and food in a good hotel.

If you don’t have any particular time pressures, take them up on their offer but advise them that you’d like to be upgraded on the next flight. This is a moment of high stress for the agents because they don’t want to have to force people off the flight, so often they will agree.

I once saved up a fortune in flight vouchers by agreeing to be bumped off a flight four times in a row. In the meantime, I stayed at a five star hotel in central Lima and was upgraded once the rush had died down.

Look the part

The reality is that business class passengers are just as likely to be wearing jeans as economy class passengers; furthermore, the decision to upgrade is usually made by someone working on a computer, so they are not likely to be looking at the quality of your suit.

However, looking incredibly scruffy can only diminish your chances of being upgraded if it does come to face to face contact.

Use your title

If you are a doctor, make sure they put Dr in the booking.

A friend was recently offered an upgrade to first class for just a couple of hundred euros on the strength of this after he booked a busy flight (he declined and faced the wrath of his wife cramped into cattle class for 24 hours en route to Australia).

Pay for it

Sometimes, upgrades are available at the airport for a more reasonable price than you might expect.

Ask the check-in agent; they’ll direct you to the ticket desk if there’s a chance.

Settle for the best economy seats

Seats in the bulkhead often have more legroom and there will be no-one in front of you to recline their seat into your space.

However, bulkhead seats are also offered to families with babies so the price might be an angry infant wailing in your ear. If that’s a risk you’re not willing to take, try asking for an exit row instead; again, the legroom tends to be better.