Upgrades
 

Okay so I think I may be putting my head above the parapet and asking for a load of abuse here but what is the best way to get an upgrade on a plane.

I work for a big multinational but in a world where cost saving is the new religion we have to fly within Europe in economy class. I fly quite regularly from Istanbul and get really fed up sitting around the airport. Lounge access would be nice, especially for early morning flights. Also, for flights to the UK and Amsterdam economy is a bit of a drag.

So, what is the best approach for a free upgrade to the comfy seats and lounges? I never get enough airmiles for a lounge access card cos we use different airlines all the time.

I have had a few upgrades but it all seems fairly random to me.

There's no guaranteed way to do this. Be smart, be polite, act as if you're the sort of person the carrier would be happy to see in business class, and expect a low success rate!

R

Well it is something to be up-graded. I get bumped up to 1st occaisionally. There are certain circumstances in which an up-grade occurs. Firstly, your flight and class will be full. Secondly it will happen during the busiest time of the year, ie, Christmas or Summer. Usually in those circumstances it's not worth the bump up. The flight crews are extremely busy, and you don't get the service you might expect from business or first class.

As to how you get there, well it's in the lap of the gods. A gold frequent flyer card is a must. A positive attitude with the Check-in staff is a great plus. Remember you are not the only person they deal with on that flight. Some of them deal with multiple flights. A smile, a bright "hello" a soothing word if the queue is large or the person in front of you has been a pain in the butt. Never ask for it, you'll never get it. It will happen when you least expect it. The move to make then is a polite "Thank you", and definitely do NOT leap in the air and shout "Yippee". Strangely, I seem to get most of my up-grades out of Abu-Dhabi. Almost never from Bangkok, no matter what airline I fly with. Hope the advice offered helps and doesn't frustrate. D:


------------------
Wake me up when we get there

Something else to bear in mind is that upgrades invariably only go to those on full fare Y or J tickets - not discounted cheapies. After all, the people paying the big bucks are the ones the airlines want to keep - the old 80/20 rule!!

------------------
:) Happiness is a warm L1011 :)

My best evenings in the freq. flys. lounge, preparing for a flight to SEAsia: An announcement for me to appear at the front desk getting one bad news: there will be no seat available for me in the business. And the good news: I´ll have a relaxing sleep in the first seats.
And once I invited my (at that time) 17 ys. old younger daughter to fly with me to KL on a youth fare ticket, me on business. The chief purser obviously saw us boarding together and then separating to each one´s seat. When the doors were closed, he came to me, together with that happy and proud looking young lady, and placed her on the free seat at my side. There is no better advertising for an airline like this for their future customers. I love these moments of saying "Thanks for your friendly service" to the f/a´s.

3 years ago I flew BA from Boston to LHR. Cattle class was packed but there were empties in Business. For the 1st 3 hrs i had this dear little beastie kicking the back of my seat every few minutes. Mommie was useless - refused reasonable suggestion to swap seats with the beastie so the irritation could be shared round. Chief purser suggested I produce credit card to get swapped to Bus otherwise it would cause 'bad feeling'. Bad feeling to whom? By this time I was at the end of my tether after 12 hrs total solo travel. Don't think anyone would have objected to my getting an upgrade in these circs. Certainly I wouldn't resent anyone else getting similar in similar circs. Every argument he made I countered and the more I argued the more powerful I felt. No, I was not being abusive, just arguing for my right, having paid out of my own money, the same price as other pax and having the right to a similar standard of "comfort" which I was not getting because of the beastie. Eventually I got 3 seats in bus class to relax in for rest of trip (now down to 2 hrs) but to do that I had to threaten to rip the beastie's head off next time she kicked the seat.

The point I want to make is that with empty seats in Bus class, a badly behaved brat and an exhausted and stressed out pax I think here was a justifiable circ. when an upgrade might have been offered. It is a pity that because of the intransigence of the CA I had to threaten a child with violence in order to get it.

Hepatacyte

In my experience there's often little to be gained, apart from slightly better food, from an upgrade on European short haul - even the Istanbul route. Seat pitch is the same, some a/c go into 2+3, rather than 3+3, but in the BA 767 the outside two seats are the same width in J as in Y!! you only gain in the centre seats (Goes from 2+3+2 to 2+2+2). The real win is in Long Haul. I speak from experience flying F, J and Y, both paid and upgraded. My recollection is that an upgrade won't always get you into the lounge.

As for lounges, have you thought about Priority Pass - I think it costs ca. 60GBP +15GBP per visit, or around 120GBP for unlimited access. I guess it depends how much time you spend as SLF and how much G&T you can consume without becoming a pain on the plane. (It is free with a Platinum Amex card, but you've you've got one of those, unlikely you'll be in Y....)

Diners Club also allow selected lounge access for free with their card - details on their web site.

Sleeping Pax is right. politeness and consideration at check in time will go a long way but the hit rate is extremely low.
Rules are rules.
You can try bringing a piece of fresh fruit to the check-in desk as a peace offering. It might help break the ice with the clerk after you become the 1235th person that day to ask if there is any room 'up the front'. Just be careful where you point it.

Airwave, I had that idea 20 years ago when I used to travel from NQY-LHR. Trying to get an up-grade by bribeing the check-in staff with Cornish goodies such as Saffron Cake and fresh Clotted Cream, claiming that "some-one from the London Office was supposed to meet me with some documents but they haven't turned up". It never worked. So after a couple of years I gave up, only to be asked once, where the goodies were!!! :rolleyes: You cannot win. A full flight, a winning smile and patience is by far the best way to get upgraded. ;)

------------------
Wake me up when we get there

Simitra,

The way some of these anti-air rage policies go these days, you're lucky they didn't go after you for threatening violence, rather than give you an upgrade. That Beastie sounded nightmarish! I was on a flight once with a little pre-school aged brat. I just knew, sitting in the terminal and waiting to check in, while watching the thing scream and bang his head and anything else available, that he was going to wind up right behind me. And wouldn't you know it! Fortunately, the thing was so out of control that it spent much of the flight running up and down the corridor, through ALL classes of cabin, and at one point a red faced f/o came marching back from the front of the plane, with little one in hand, and sternly handed it back to its clueless Mommy and Daddy, who were really miffed to be told to control their darling. They demanded to know why they should be expected to keep the kid in its seat!! (OK, this has nothing to do with upgrades, but I couldn't resist responding!)

My experience,for what its worth, is that politness counts for everything, But first and foremost..ALWAYS wear a shirt and tie, clean shoes (not runners/sneakers) and trouser (not shorts)

Ask for the duty manager, check in staff rarely have the authority to upgrade,

If you have a frequent flyer card, show the duty manager it. If you do not have one, apply for one now, remember they are free and the duty manager , on seeing you card has no idea how many points / miles you have accumulted unless its a gold / silver status card

If its possible to be upgraded, you will probably not hear about it untill just before boarding, as business class passengers can turn up at the last moment, so have patience and wait around an area where the duty manager can see you.

If it does not happen, be polite to the duty manager...you may travel again and see him some other time. Upgrades will best happen at times when flights are overbooked, friday evenings/Sunday evenings, Summer, holidays (Christmas )

Remember dress well and be polite

Good Luck
It's worked for me on many occasions..!! :)

From the FAQ section of BA's US site:

How can I get upgraded?

Although many passengers ask for upgrades, we must decline, even if seats in the forward cabins are available. Not only would we be unable to accommodate everyone who makes such a request, but also any selection process would inevitably lead to disappointment for others. Additionally, our past experience has been that full-fare passengers tend to learn when others have been upgraded at no additional cost and complain. We also believe that upgrades on a regular basis can damage the credibility of our premium product.

Some further points on this popular topic:

Free upgrades, without mileage redemption, are not among the features of the BA Executive Club program.
Occasionally, circumstances require that we do upgrade some passengers, usually because of an aircraft substitution or an overbooking situation that would leave people stranded.
If upgrades are required, preference is given first to our Gold Tier Executive Club members, followed by anyone who has reached the Silver level.
Please note that there may be times when our airport staff must make such decisions quickly and at random, in order to avoid last-minute confusion or a delayed departure.



------------------
Safiri Salama

Well Guvnor, I agree that it's USUALLY those paying full fare that get lucky with upgrades. But my wife and I went to Venice in January, using Air Miles - and you don't get more discounted than that. Not only did we fly in Business Class, we also spent most of the trip on the jump seats :)

Last October I went to Hong Kong, booked in Business Class, but was checked into First Class. At the time (and until I actually boarded) I just assumed that First was Cathay's name for Business - I felt really bad that I hadn't thanked the check-in person because I hadn't realised what was going on! Just deserts though, on the way back I got stuck (in Business Class) next to a smelly chatterbox. :rolleyes: