For the vast majority a business or first class flight exists only in daydreams.
When confined to the stuffiness of an economy cabin, air travel can become somewhat of a chore.
But there are a few tricks to snagging a first class ticket for a fraction of the price.
Quora users have revealed their inside tips on how to get a free flight upgrade.
The question was posed: “What are the best ways to get free upgrades on flights?” and one frequent flyer had a deceptively simple solution.
Jon White challenged passengers to ask one unassuming question at check in.
He said: “Ask if there are any upgrades available for purchase.”
Jon went on to explain that there are only four answers to this question.
There could be no upgrades available for purchase or there could be some but they are too expensive to consider.
In both cases the passenger has lost nothing merely by asking.
Alternatively there could be upgrades available that are cheap enough to buy.
He said: “You will be surprised how cheap they can be – I have had a domestic US (MCI-SEA) first-class upgrade for $ 50 (£38) before, and a transatlantic business class upgrade for $ 300 (£228)! – win.”
The last option is that there will be an upgrade for free.
Jon said: “You have been friendly enough that the person behind the desk will give you a discretionary operational upgrade for free of charge (after all they have a certain number of upgrades they need to allocate on some flights). This has happened to me three times – once US domestic and twice transatlantic – win.”
The traveller said he has experienced about a 30 per cent success rate with his trick.
Other Quora users suggested joining the airline’s frequent flyer program, checking in early and being friendly to staff to increase your chances of an upgrade.
One thing travellers are advised not to do if they want a free upgrade is to order a special meal.
Apparently, requesting a “special meal” – whether it be vegetarian, kosher or gluten-free – means a passenger won’t even be considered.
Nik Loukas, a former flight attendant with Qantas who now runs a travel website, told Business Insider UK: “If there’s a special meal request in your booking, the airline won’t even look at you [for an upgrade].
“Because you’ve got a dietary requirement, they might not be able to cater for you if they upgrade you.”
