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How to Easily Get a Free Airline Upgrade and Fly First Class

Who wouldn’t want to fly either business class or even first class for the price of an economy ticket? That’s the hope of every passenger who’s crammed into the little seats - especially after seeing the spacious seating and near-instant service of those in first class. Everyone would like to have the increased legroom, increased lounge access and of course, the treat-you-like-a-king service that comes for first class passengers. While the economy seats keep getting smaller and packed closer together, the premium cabins keep getting more spacious and comfortable as airlines pull out all stops in an attempt to get more passengers to pay for these upgrades.

While it doesn’t happen on every flight, occasionally the airlines will upgrade passengers for free when they have specific operational needs. Follow the below tips and you’ll greatly increase your chances of snagging one of these free upgrades and flying in style on your next trip.

1. Frequent Flier Program. When airlines have the need to bump passengers to first class, they often offer this to their frequent flier passengers first. The more points you’ve accumulated and used, the higher your “status” in their frequent flier program, and the more likely you’ll get the upgrades.

2. Fly from smaller airports. When you fly out of the large hub airports, you’re competing against a bunch of other passengers who also are members of the frequent flier program. The smaller the airport, the fewer people you’re competing against. You might be in the top 10% of the program, but if you’re competing against hundreds of people, the odds increase that someone will be higher on the list than you.

3. Choose smaller frequent flier programs. It’s not always possible, but when it makes sense, chose a frequent flier program from one of the smaller airlines - again to have less competition when looking for the upgrades. In Europe, the largest programs are Air France - KLM, British Airways, and Lufthansa which combined have millions of members. In the US, Delta, American Airlines, and United combined could very well have over 100 million members. If you’re flying in a major hub in one of these programs, you’re in some serious competition. Try joining a smaller quality Asian program such as Cathay Pacific or Thai Airlines,or even smaller US based programs such as BMI Diamond Club or Alaska Mileage Plan.

4. Choose a likely full flight. If you choose a flight with a huge wide-body airplane on a well-traveled route, the odds increase that the economy section will be booked and that there will be open seats in business or first class. If you check the online services you can see if there are available seats in the premium sections as well as seeing how full the economy class is. Sometimes checking in towards the end of the boarding period will get you upgraded in these cases. Be aware that sometimes you’ll get bumped (in which case you might even be able to snag a voucher).

5. Don’t book your tickets through a third-party for a discount. When you pay full fare directly through the airline, you have a higher chance of being awarded an upgrade when one is available.

6. Dressing well and being friendly helps. With the heavy reliance on computers as opposed to a few years ago, counter personnel don’t have as much leeway in deciding who gets the upgrades as they did in years past, but by dressing well and acting friendly, you’ll increase your chances if they have a choice.

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