How to get your flight upgraded for free

Have you ever wondered how to get your flight upgraded for free? Almost everyone has heard one tale or another about someone getting moved from coach to business or first class without any additional charges. How to get flight upgrades seems like a great mystery to most people. After all, how do you convince the airlines to hand over that Holy Grail of free flight upgrades? While there is no surefire solution, but there are a number of approaches that can make it a lot more likely to achieve.


The first thing you can do is to pick an airline and stick faithfully to it. Almost all airlines offer frequent flier programs and you should sign up for one. The more flight miles you accrue, the more likely you will get those free flight upgrades. Those with a lot of miles are the first to be offered any open first class or business class seats. Even if you only have a handful of frequent flyer miles, it can drastically increase your chances of a free flight upgrade. Be sure to contact your flight provider whenever planning a trip to see if they have any specials offering bonus miles to help improve your future chances.


When coach class is overbooked, ticket agents would rather give you a free flight upgrade than bump you to another flight. If you have a flexible travel schedule and find that your flight is overbooked, suggesting that you would give up your seat for a first class seat on another flight is one of the surest ways to secure one of those coveted free flight upgrades. In either case, the lesson is that when it makes life easier for the gate or ticket agent, an upgrade to first class is much easier to come by.


Purchasing your ticket for full-price at the ticket counter can net you a business class seat without any additional charge. It may not always work, but if there is an open seat in the better class, the upgrade is free. If you have are traveling with multiple airlines and have a bad experience with the first carrier, politely letting the gate agent know you received poor treatment from the other carrier can make them more likely to offer you flight upgrades. Airlines are highly competitive. They will be keen to make a good impression on you, with the goal of making you a regular customer of their service.


While it may be a bit old-fashioned, dressing in a sharp and professional manner can drastically increase your chances for success. If you were a ticket agent and had one upgrade, would you give it to the person dressed for business or the one dressed in a floral shirt and shorts? It is all about impressions and if you look like you belong in first class, you are more likely to get there.


There is no surefire way to secure free airline upgrades, but with a little preparation and luck, you can fly in style and comfort more often that you would think.


Jonathan Kittley is the airline employee, and wasinterviewed on: http://www.free-flight-upgrades.com where you can learn all about cheap flights and free flight upgrades.