Getting flight upgraded
Discussion
Dress Smart (not monkey suit but not tatty jeans and a t-shirt either)
Be polite (makes a massive difference, especially if the last 20 people who checked in were annoying, rude, arrogant etc)
Smile
Arrive early-ish
There is no problem in asking, but don't try a cheesy line, wink etc Just be honest and open
Now all of the above sounds totally obvious but you'd be amazed at how many people march up, slam their things down on top of the check-in desk, demand an upgrade and get angry when they don't receive it. The airline has no obligation what so ever to upgrade someone when they haven't paid for that class of ticket to start with.
Also remember the last point. The staff there have heard every corny line under the sun. You WILL NOT be able to come up with something new and unheard of that works.
All of this has come from my mum, who did 40 odd years at Heathrow with BOAC, BA, Pan Am and United. She has tried to train me in the black art that is 'getting the upgrade' but at the end of the day its all down to how full the flight is, how many frequent fliers are on the flight and thus might get preferential treatment and how you treat the person.
There is also no harm in asking at the gate or even when on board.
Good luck
Be polite (makes a massive difference, especially if the last 20 people who checked in were annoying, rude, arrogant etc)
Smile
Arrive early-ish
There is no problem in asking, but don't try a cheesy line, wink etc Just be honest and open
Now all of the above sounds totally obvious but you'd be amazed at how many people march up, slam their things down on top of the check-in desk, demand an upgrade and get angry when they don't receive it. The airline has no obligation what so ever to upgrade someone when they haven't paid for that class of ticket to start with.
Also remember the last point. The staff there have heard every corny line under the sun. You WILL NOT be able to come up with something new and unheard of that works.
All of this has come from my mum, who did 40 odd years at Heathrow with BOAC, BA, Pan Am and United. She has tried to train me in the black art that is 'getting the upgrade' but at the end of the day its all down to how full the flight is, how many frequent fliers are on the flight and thus might get preferential treatment and how you treat the person.
There is also no harm in asking at the gate or even when on board.
Good luck
As the previous 2 state - you'll need a lucky combination of a full flight, flying solo, paying a top rate for your economy ticket and/or status to get the best chance of a bump up.
If you booked early on an el-cheapo restricted ticket then forget it.
I flew 120,000 miles in 18 months on star alliance and never saw a sniff of an upgrade.
If you booked early on an el-cheapo restricted ticket then forget it.
I flew 120,000 miles in 18 months on star alliance and never saw a sniff of an upgrade.
i very much doubt you'll have any chance at all. europe > dxb is a very busy route with a high number of business travellers and those for whom business class is easily affordable. i fly at least once a month and my colleagues tell me i'll only get bumped once i've got gold frequent flyer status.
your best bet is to ask for extra legroom, though again don't get your hopes up. are you flying emirates from bhx? emirates economy is pretty good for legroom. if it's etihad, i'd pay for extra space if you have the option.
your best bet is to ask for extra legroom, though again don't get your hopes up. are you flying emirates from bhx? emirates economy is pretty good for legroom. if it's etihad, i'd pay for extra space if you have the option.
Offer to pay the difference at check-in, normally cheaper if seats are available and they want to sell them off.
Otherwise your only other option is to slip a stewardess one - can sometimes help. I'm a certified member of the mile high club (courtesy of BA. Must be why they gave me executive membership
Otherwise your only other option is to slip a stewardess one - can sometimes help. I'm a certified member of the mile high club (courtesy of BA. Must be why they gave me executive membership
tuffer said:
This topic comes up every other week, best way is to pay. I have flown 550,000 miles with BA in the last 18 months hold a gold card and been upgraded twice, join the queue.
Exactly this. Clothing and appearance will make no difference at all, and to be honest unless you are a status level frequent flyer on the airline you're travelling with you've got next to no hope of an upgrade. Even then, it is a rare occurence. Like Tuffer, I'm a BA gold card holder and I've been upgraded once in the past year. Each airline has it's own specific policies about upgrade, so what little you can do to influence things would vary anyway: Check out flyertalk.com's forums and you'll probably find some useful information there.
ETA Tuffer: How the f
k have you managed to fly 550k in 18 months?! Is that physical miles covered or miles credited to your account? Either way, that's some impressive work - I've flown 100k phyisical miles since January (about 250k in BA miles I think) and I thought I was sat on a plane for far too long for my own good!Edited by Tallow on Saturday 22 October 01:12
not sure where you're flying from and which airline but loads on Emirates for monday are rammed so the other probably are too. EK do upgrade, a hint that this is happening is if you get a upgrade offer in the mail before flight. If you didn't book online you can go to manage a booking on Emirates.com and register there for pre-departure notifications, typically the upgrades are in the 2-3 hundred quid rage if you choose to buy or chance your luck for the freebie.
I get upgraded nearly all the time, mostly to upper class but some times just to premium economy. This is wearing anything from a suit to jeans and a T shirt. I also get upgraded to the lounge at both LHR and JFK 
That said, I was enjoying the lounge at JFK, then when it came to boarding the flight had to turn right as the upper class was full
My method? Spend a fortune with air cargo
I've not heard of anyone getting a free upgrade using any technique. The airline will upgrade when it suits them, like space issues etc. other than that they will sell you an upgrade at the check in.
That said, I was enjoying the lounge at JFK, then when it came to boarding the flight had to turn right as the upper class was full
My method? Spend a fortune with air cargo
I've not heard of anyone getting a free upgrade using any technique. The airline will upgrade when it suits them, like space issues etc. other than that they will sell you an upgrade at the check in.Tallow said:
tuffer said:
This topic comes up every other week, best way is to pay. I have flown 550,000 miles with BA in the last 18 months hold a gold card and been upgraded twice, join the queue.
Exactly this. Clothing and appearance will make no difference at all, and to be honest unless you are a status level frequent flyer on the airline you're travelling with you've got next to no hope of an upgrade. Even then, it is a rare occurence. Like Tuffer, I'm a BA gold card holder and I've been upgraded once in the past year. Each airline has it's own specific policies about upgrade, so what little you can do to influence things would vary anyway: Check out flyertalk.com's forums and you'll probably find some useful information there.
ETA Tuffer: How the f
k have you managed to fly 550k in 18 months?! Is that physical miles covered or miles credited to your account? Either way, that's some impressive work - I've flown 100k phyisical miles since January (about 250k in BA miles I think) and I thought I was sat on a plane for far too long for my own good!Edited by Tallow on Saturday 22 October 01:12
My friend's wife travels a couple of times a year long haul to see relatives and seems to have a 50% success rate at being upgraded. It appears that it helps to be female, travelling alone, smartly dressed, polite and on a full economy ticket on a busy route.
I have only been upgraded once, by a mate who worked for the airline. Even then it was from business to first. Worth it though as the flight was London to LA.
I have only been upgraded once, by a mate who worked for the airline. Even then it was from business to first. Worth it though as the flight was London to LA.
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