Flight secrets have revealed many fascinating ways to get upgraded on a plane.
From the best time to ask, to what clothing to wear, it can be difficult to know how to get that ‘yes’ answer.
A frequent traveller has revealed the secret phrase she uses to get an upgrade every time she flies.
It is something many passengers may have never heard of before.
British author Tilly Bagshawe explained to Bloomberg how she says a certain sentence when calling the airline before boarding.
She explains how using the phrase “revenue management” can convince them to release first class seats.
Ms Bagshawe asks the airline: “Have revenue management released any first-class seats for miles upgrades yet?”
If they say no, she says to ask to be “put through to revenue management”.
With it being an unknown phrase for most travellers, she explains that it makes passengers look like “someone who knows how things work and understands how seats are released”.
Revenue management is where the profits of an airline are handled, which is why they may be aware of when first class upgrades can be offered.
However, an expert in the industry has refuted the claim that this works.
Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst, explained to Business Insider how it will most likely only be available to fliers who have a high amount of air miles.
He told Business Insider: “Asking a reservations agent to check with the airline’s Revenue Management department will probably result in the agent muting her line while she laughs at the requests.
“Very few airlines allow their reservations agents to either contact Revenue Management or [transfer] a reservation to that department for upgrades.”
The best time to ask for a free flight upgrade is not when checking in, despite passengers usually attempting this.
A flight attendant explains it is best to ask when on the plane.
