Flight Attendant Friday: How to Score an Upgrade

Today’s question comes from a PR representative that’s generously provided a number of prizes for contest giveaways in addition to being a great source of information in and about the travel and hospitality industry.  I’ll keep the identity anonymous.  Here’s the question –

Q.  Is there anything I can do (that might be more of a secret) to get a better seat/1st class?  I fly 1st as often as possible, but sometimes it’s just not doable.  I know it’s a silly question but I’ve always wondered.

A. It’s not a silly question at all, and is one that gets asked all the time!  And the answer has changed a lot since I first wrote about scoring an upgrade over three years ago.  Upgrades are getting harder to come by, but they aren’t impossible.  Here are a few of my recommendations:

• Frequent Flyer status – This is the number one best way to score a flight upgrade.  But you can’t just join ever program and expect it to work for you.  Take a look at who you usually fly on, taking into account your home airport and the destinations that you most often go to.  Then look at the airlines that fly those routes.  Once you know which airlines you have to deal with, take a look to see if they share a frequent flyer program.  Take a few minutes a map it all out, and hopefully you can find one (or two at the most) who cover most of your usual flying.  Then be sure to use that same number for all your flying.
• Change from the competition – If you have an elite status on another carrier, many airlines are eager to woo you away.  There are lots of programs in place that will grant you elite status on a new carrier if you have that status on a competitor.  Be prepared to substantiate your position.  This wooing frequently involved upgrades.
• Buy your tickets from the airline – Most airlines will meet or beat any price out there, so I’m not sure why everyone is rushing to all the third party sites any more.  Buying directly from the airline will mean that you’ll be in compliance with all the rules regarding making a connection, and if you run into any problem you’ll be protected.  And when it comes to an upgrade, agents will look first at people who dealt directly with the airline.
• Be nice – Given a choice, most people will opt to upgrade someone who is nice to them rather than someone who is not.  I know regular flyers who bring candy or some other small item to the agents.  They swear it helps.  You probably won’t find a agent that will admit to that, since it violates policies of some sort or another, but it can’t hurt.
• Let people know if there’s a special occasion.  But be honest and credible.  Agents can spot a scammer a mile away.
• Dress well – No one wants to put a slob in first class.  You don’t have to be in a suit and tie, just be neat and well-groomed.
• Ask politely – There’s nothing wrong with politely asking if an upgrade is available.  It helps to have frequent flyer status, but don’t let that stop you. A few things to keep in mind, however, are that not all fares are eligible for an upgrade and not all upgrades are free. Know what you would be prepared to pay for an upgrade so you can make an instant decision.

The above list are things that happen before you ever get to the plane and see a Flight Attendant.  If you haven’t been successful, your odds of scoring an upgrade are lower once onboard, but still not impossible.

• Ask politely – This is really just a follow up in case there’s an extra seat in first class or someone no-shows at the last minute.  Just let the Flight Attendant know that if there’s a vacant seat that you would be interested in an upgrade.  Most of the times this won’t happen, and again it helps to have elite frequent flyer status, but we’ll try to accommodate you if we can.
• Recognize airline policy – Some airlines have policies that prohibit Flight Attendants from upgrading a passenger, and there may be punitive measures taken for ignoring the policy.  If you run into that, don’t push the issue.
• Be helpful and polite – If you see that the Flight Attendant is trying to get a family together or working to help people sit by one another, offer to help out if you can.  Sometimes, if they ask you to move, they are asking you to move to first class.  We’re most likely to move someone who is nice to us.
• Be a nice guy or gal – What doesn’t work is to threaten or try to intimidate.  Such phrases as “do you know who I am” or “I know the CEO” or “do you know how many miles I fly on your airline” don’t impress us.  If we don’t know who you are, you aren’t that important.  We know the CEO as well.  And we fly more miles that you do.  If you’ve had a bad day, or it’s a special occasion, feel free to mention it, but don’t take it out on us.  We want your flight to be pleasant, and if you’re trying to make it so on your side of things, chances are we’ll do the same.

If it didn’t work out for you this time, prepare for the next time with a few actions:

• Write a complaint letter – This is where people sometimes get turned around, and think that writing a flaming complaint letter will get them tons of free tickets or an upgrade.  That scam has been tried by a whole lot of people, and the “something for nothing” letters can be spotted.  If something has gone wrong, and it’s the fault of the airline, by all means set forth the details in a polite, but firm, way.  The airline needs to step up and address what went wrong, and there is nothing wrong with you holding them accountable.  Be honest, realistic, and don’t make something up.  It’s easier, and more justifiable, to reward and recognize good behavior than bad.
• Write a praise letter – Everyone loves a happy passenger!  So why not be that person.  Write a letter talking about the things that went right with your experience.  Mention people by name and talk about how they’ve made a favorable impression.  If it’s your first flight, mention that, and that you’ve joined the frequent flyer program and are anxious to experience some of the perks (upgrades of the program).  If you’re not quite at elite status, or are between levels, mention that, and that you’re positive experience is what keeps you coming back to fly that airline.  If you’ve just switched over, or were going to put stuck with it, mention that as well.  It has to be credible, don’t make things up, but who wouldn’t want to reward a flyer who’s thrilled with the airline.

It’s not always going to work, and there are going to be times when that upgrade just doesn’t come through.  A little thinking ahead, though, may make a world of difference.

If you’re a frequent flyer and have had any of these tips work for you, I’d love to hear about it.

If you’re a Flight Attendant, please chime in with whether you think these will work on YOUR airline, and add anything that I’ve missed!