{"id":170679,"date":"2017-05-19T14:03:50","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T13:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/turkeyalwan.net\/?p=170679"},"modified":"2017-08-03T17:00:07","modified_gmt":"2017-08-03T16:00:07","slug":"ten-tips-for-a-free-flight-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turkeyalwan.net\/ten-tips-for-a-free-flight-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten tips to get a flight upgrade without paying for it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday newsletters<\/a>\u00a0always feature luxury travel contests<\/a>, tips<\/a>, series<\/a>, or news<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today (May 19, 2017):\u00a0Travel Tip:\u00a0how to get a flight\u00a0upgrade WITHOUT paying for it?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

I\u00a0previously\u00a0explained how you can book the cheapest plane ticket<\/a>\u00a0and save (lots of) moneys. But while\u00a0it\u2019s exciting to find an excellent deal, the flight itself can still be miserable when you are facing a longhaul flight odyssey in a leg-cramping\u00a0<\/i>seat in Economy Class. And unfortunately, most passengers will never fly in anything but cattle\u00a0class, as\u00a0Business Class<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0First Class<\/a>\u00a0tickets can be shockingly unaffordable.<\/p>\n

So one of the\u00a0questions<\/a>\u00a0I often get is whether there are ways to score a premium seat in the plane\u00a0without having to pay for the upgrade. While there are some straight-forward strategies, it will often require a mix of skill, emotional intelligence and a considerable amount of luck if you don\u2019t want to spend a penny at all. But the reward is that flying Business or First Class is a highly enjoyable experience, as you can read in my\u00a0trip reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0hereby present you the 10 best travel tricks to get and\/or book an airline\u00a0upgrade without breaking your wallet!\u00a0You can share your own tips or upgrade experiences in\u00a0<\/strong>the comments section.<\/p>\n

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CATHAY PACIFIC BUSINES CLASS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

*** Follow me on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for a daily <\/em>moment of travel inspiration ***<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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1. Keep an eye\u00a0out for Business Class discount deals<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Most of us will completely ignore any Business Class fare as it seems out of reach anyway. However, that\u2019s a wrong assumption. Business tends to slow down during the school holidays and airlines cannot fill their Business Class seats, hence selling them at impressively discounted prices, that \u2013 in some cases \u2013 match the price of the\u00a0tickets for the seats in the crammed back of the plane. For example, British Airways had a sale last month in which transatlantic Business Class seats for summer 2017 were offered at the same price as Economy Class tickets. So subscribe to the newsletter of your favorite airlines and don\u2019t ignore the Business Class sales.<\/p>\n

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2. Keep an eye out for 2-for-1 Business Class sales<\/strong><\/h5>\n

If you are traveling with family or a companion, keep an eye out for 2-for-1 Business Class sales that are occasionally launched by some airlines for a limited time only: you buy one (full-fare) Business Class ticket, and your companion will get a\u00a0Business Class seat for free. This will cut the cost of flying Business Class, well, in two, often coming close to flying Economy with 2, especially in the more expensive school holidays. Qatar Airways<\/a> is one of the airlines that regularly announces\u00a02-for-1 Business Class sales.<\/p>\n

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3. Use your miles to book an upgrade<\/strong><\/h5>\n

That\u2019s a classic method of course. You subscribe to the frequent flyer program of an airline, and start collecting miles by flying, staying at hotels, or spending money with the airlines\u2019 credit card. You can then\u00a0redeem your\u00a0well-earned miles for free Business\/First Class flights or upgrades (in addition to hotel stays, car rentals or shopping). However, you have to fly a lot and\/or spend a lot of money with your credit card, in order to collect enough miles for a complimentary premium seat. If you would like to optimize your mileage earning & spending strategy, I advise you to subscribe to the newsletter of some\u00a0excellent bloggers<\/a>. Currently, American Airlines\u2019\u00a0AAdvantage<\/a>\u00a0is (still) widely considered to be the best loyalty program. You can read here<\/a>\u00a0some of my inside tips\u00a0to boost your mileage\u00a0account.<\/p>\n

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4. Be loyal to an airline<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Loyal\u00a0customers – who are members of and have status with an airline\u2019s frequent flyer program – will normally be given priority when an airline needs to upgrade a passenger (for example, because of overbooking in Economy Class). In addition, some airlines will reward the loyalty of their most regular travelers with free upgrade vouchers, such as American Airlines (4 upgrades a year), British Airways (2 upgrades a year), and Lufthansa (2 upgrades a year).<\/p>\n

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5. Ask for an upgrade at check-in<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It\u2019s seems too good to be true, but politely asking for an upgrade at check-in desk sometimes\u00a0does the trick. With online\u00a0check-in becoming more and more popular, there are fewer people asking the question\u00a0\u201cif you are upgrading passengers on this flight, I would like to be considered\u201d<\/em>, hence increasing your chance to score a premium seat on the plane. It will help if you are polite, not overly demanding, dressed neatly, and when you have a good reason (e.g. being pregnant,\u00a0exceptionally tall, or celebrating a honeymoon).\u00a0If a free upgrade is not available, the check-in staff might also propose you a heavily reduced rate\u00a0for an upgrade to the next available class.<\/p>\n

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6. Complain about\u00a0a troubling experience<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Air travel can be a frustrating experience from time to time, especially when confronted with a\u00a0delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight<\/a>, or when your luggage is delayed or lost<\/a>. The flight itself can also be an unpleasant ordeal when things do not go as planned (e.g. failure of the entertainment system, a defect seat, etc \u2026). When confronted with an\u00a0inconvenience that is clearly the responsibility of an airline, then complaining in a polite matter \u2013 either at the airport, onboard or afterwards through the airlines\u2019 customer service \u2013 may be your chance to get out of coach. In April 2015, I encountered a 24 hour flight delay with Cathay Pacific<\/a>, and after filing an online complaint on Cathay\u2019s website, I was given\u00a02 upgrade vouchers to be used on a future flight.<\/p>\n

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7. Travel alone<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It should not come as a surprise that it is much easier for an airline to upgrade a single passenger as compared to a couple or family. So, while it\u2019s tough to leave friends and family behind when traveling around the globe, you may find yourself upgraded to the airline\u2019s premium cabin.<\/p>\n

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8.\u00a0Work for an airline or befriend someone who does<\/strong><\/h5>\n

One of the key perks of airline employees are buddy passes. These are standby tickets that can be used by the employees, their family and friends in order to travel at a very reduced rate.\u00a0The terms and conditions are different for each airline, but most airlines will make Business or First Class seats available to these passengers if the cabin is not full at time of departure. However, if the flight is oversold, buddy pass riders are usually last on the priority list for a seat. In addition, it doesn\u2019t hurt befriending\u00a0check-in agents, gate agents or the airlines\u2019 management as you would be surprised about their powers when it comes to reassigning seats.<\/p>\n

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9. Take the bump when your\u00a0flight is oversold<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Most airlines oversell flights to\u00a0maximize their profit, since they know some passengers\u00a0will always cancel or miss their flights for a variety of reasons. If your flight happens to be overbooked, then tell the gate agent that you are happy to\u00a0switch flights. You will solve the agent\u2019s problem and there\u2019s a chance that your generosity will be rewarded with an upgrade on the next available flight.<\/p>\n

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10. Bid against other passengers for a better seat<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Well, this may cost you some money, but we mention it nonetheless, since it has proven succesful for many so far. Plusgrade<\/a>\u00a0and Optiontown<\/a>\u00a0collaborate with some of the world\u2019s best airlines to offer their passengers\u00a0the opportunity to upgrade their travel experience, if upgraded inventory is available before time of departure. This is how it works:\u00a0After you have booked your flight on the airlines\u2019 website, you will be invited to make a bid\u00a0to upgrade to a higher class, from your booking confirmation page and confirmation e-mail.\u00a0All you have to do is to enter a bid price\u00a0to upgrade each leg of your flight, along with your credit card information. \u00a0Between 72 and 24 hours prior to departure, the airline will notify you via mail if your request for an upgrade has been approved or not.\u00a0If your upgrade offer has been accepted, your credit card will be billed with the amount you offered, and you will receive your upgraded boarding pass.\u00a0If your upgrade offer hasn\u2019t been accepted, you pay nothing and keep your original ticket.<\/p>\n

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*** Follow me on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for a daily <\/em>moment of travel inspiration ***<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

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