Have you ever wondered when the best time is to ask for an upgrade on your flight? Well, some flight attendants came together to share some tips for getting an upgrade. Two former flight crew members explained that travelers are rarely given a free upgrade to a better seat — though frequent flyers with elite status often do get this perk.
But travelers can ask to pay for an upgrade, according to Travel + Leisure. The attendants told the outlet that upgrade requests can be made any time between booking the flight and boarding. However, they advise travelers to ask as early in the process as possible.
At the time of booking, people can ask about paid upgrades — using cash or their accrued miles. If that leads to nowhere, they can try again at the check-in desk upon arriving at the airport for their flight.
Even if they aren't able to upgrade at the check-in desk, that doesn't mean there isn't any more opportunity. Passengers who booked a first class or business seat on a flight may not show up, which creates an opportunity for travelers to speak to the gate agent just before boarding to see if they can pay to upgrade to one of the empty seats.
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But that isn't the end-all and be-all. One last piece of advice the flight attendants gave is to ask again at the boarding door. They suggest asking the lead attendant or any other attendant on the flight.
"You should ask prior to door closure," noted Bobby Laurie, a travel expert and former American Airlines flight attendant. "But don't be surprised if they don't move you until after you're in the air if they're going to grant your request."
Another former flight attendant of 22 years, Susan Fogwell, shared that there are better chances a traveler would score a paid upgrade to an economy-plus seat rather than one in first or business class. "While sitting in a cramped middle seat or squeezed in at a window seat, a passenger observes an empty economy plus seat and will ask if they can change seats," she said.
"Standard procedure is to wait until the door closes to see if everybody shows up for the flight," she continued. "If the seat is available, the passenger pays for the upgrade on the flight." Susan went on to shut down claims that a person may get offered a free upgrade to business or first class depending on how they dress.
"This simply never happened at the major airline where I worked," she explained. "If a flight attendant moved a passenger from one class to another, the flight attendant would not have a job for long. The difference in price is in the thousands, depending on the route. There is also a team of flight attendants on board 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."
People in the comments shared their experiences and thoughts.
"Flight attendants don’t usually upgrade people," one person commented. "It’s the gate agents you want to talk to."
"Last time I flew, they asked for volunteers to check their carry ons due to a full flight," another user wrote. "I did and as I was boarding they handed me a new boarding pass and they had upgraded me. I was so excited. ."
