Flight Attendants Reveal the Best Time to Ask for a Flight Upgrade

Although free upgrades are rare, passengers can request to pay for a higher seat at any time between booking and boarding the flight

Flight attendants share their insider tips on how to score an upgrade on your next flight.

According to two former flight crew members, passengers rarely get a free upgrade to a better seat — with the exception of elite frequent flyers — but they can request to pay for one, by Travel + free time.

Flight attendants told the outlet that change requests can be made at any time between flight booking and boarding, although they advised passengers to ask as early in the process as possible.

Passengers can inquire about paid upgrades – either with cash or accumulated miles – with the airline at the time of booking. If they fail, they can try again at the check-in counter when they arrive at the airport for their flight.

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If they are told no, hope is not lost. On some flights, passengers who have booked a First Class or Business Class seat may not show up for their flight. In that case, smart travelers can talk to an agent at the gate just before boarding to see if they can pay to move to one of those unfilled seats.

The last option is to ask the lead flight attendant or flight attendant at the boarding gate.

“You should ask before the door closes, but don’t be surprised if they transfer you until after you’re in the air if they’ll approve your request,” Bobby Laurie, a travel expert and former American airline flight attendant, said Travel + free time.

A picture of a flight attendant.

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Susan Fogwell, a former flight attendant with 22 years of experience, pointed out that passengers are more likely to get a paid upgrade to an economy plus seat than to first or business class.

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“While sitting in a cramped middle seat or squeezed into a window seat, a passenger will look at an empty economy plus seat and ask if they can change seats,” Fogwell explained to Travel + free time. “Standard procedure is to wait until the doors close to see if everyone shows up for the flight. If there is a seat available, the passenger pays for a higher class on the flight.”

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Frogwell also dismissed stories of people being given business or first class based on their appearance or the way they were dressed.

“This just never happened at the major airline I worked for,” she said Travel + free time. “If a flight attendant moved a passenger from one class to another, the flight attendant wouldn’t have a job for long. The price difference is in the thousands, depending on the route.”

“There is also a team of flight attendants on the plane who would be aware of the ‘free upgrade’. So when someone tells a story about a so-called free upgrade, take it with a grain of salt,” she added.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education