Four ways + 1 to get an upgrade to first or business class
One of the most widely read articles lately on our site is about how I managed to get an upgrade [...]
One of the most widely read articles lately on our site is about how I was able to get an upgrade in La Premiere, or the very exclusive first class aboard Air France. Much interest was also aroused by the article that explained the auction of ITA Airways to win business class seats. So I decided to make a small summary of the four ways that exist to get an upgrade to a better class of travel than the one booked.
In this article:
PS Spoiler alert, being dressed well and look like rich influencers is not one of the possibilities
#1 Pay cash after buying the ticket
Each company has its own rules when it comes to paid upgrades. The rules concern not only when it is possible to pay to upgrade, but also the classes that are valid to proceed to purchase the new ticket. There are carriers that offer this opportunity to all passengers, starting a certain amount of time before the departure of the flight; others, such as Air France, on the other hand, only allow you to take advantage of this option when you open online check-in.
It is always possible to request an upgrade in this mode, even directly at the airport at the check-in counters or gate. Airline staff are trained and know full well that they must try to maximize revenue from each individual flight, even making proposals directly from the gate speakers while waiting for boarding to open.
This is by far the easiest mode, but also the one that has the greatest unknowns. For example, if one has bought a hyper-discounted ticket, it is not necessarily the case that the amount charged for the upgrade will be less than the ex novo price of a new ticket. The advice is always to do the math right.
#2 Paying with miles after buying ticket
Did you get your flight cancelled, miss your connection, land late?
You could get up to 600€ compensation per person
This is a very simple way and the companies that offer it, for example Emirates, already indicate at the time of ticket sale whether the fare includes the possibility of upgrading with points/miles and the possible cost.
Of course, the price varies depending on the class of ticket purchased, and not all fares have access to this option. If you want to use this strategy, there are essentially two things to know:
- Before choosing the flight, you need to make sure there is business class seat and have the sufficient number of points/miles ready in the account to use
- Doing good math on the value that the points we are going to use will have
Point 1 is important because there are companies, for example Virgin Atlantic, that allow upgrading with miles but only if award seats in the requested class are available on the chosen flight. Other airlines tie the upgrade, for example, to the passenger who has an elite level in the loyalty program.
#3 Winning a ticket at the auction.
There are systems, such as the Plusgrade, which are used by so many companies, for example ITA Airways and Lufthansa. The service is simple and is active from the time the ticket is purchased until about a week before the flight departs. You choose the route(s) for which you want to bid and about 24 to 36 hours before the flight you receive a response.
Then there are mixed systems, such as the one used by SAS that offers the passenger to bid in cash or loyalty program points. The operation is the same, except that the auction is also accessed by offering points and not just cash. Each company has its own rules in this case as well. Users enrolled in the loyalty program and with elite status have a better chance than others, and so on.
#4 On-Board Upgrade
If after buying your ticket and before boarding you have not been able to get the results you hoped for, there is one last chance: try it on board the plane. Again, we are not talking about impressing the cabin crew, but about Always pay using points as on-board currency To gain access to a premium seat, if free.
#5 Having status in the loyalty program.
In American loyalty programs, upgrades are one of the most important benefits, passengers almost don't even have to ask for it because it is all almost automatic and those with elite status find themselves, if there is room, in a better seat on virtually every flight. In Europe the most you can aspire to, but they are still few, are vouchers to get an upgrade.
For example, British gives 1 to those who reach above Gold level in the Executive Club. Lufthansa gifts them to its HONs. The most generous in this ranking is undoubtedly Finnair, which with its Finnair Plus gives 4 upgrades to all Gold level holders and as many as 6 to those who get the Platinum card.
