From ice-cream sundae carts to mimosas and warm nuts, the perks of first class taste better when they’re free.
Heading on your honeymoon or travelling for a big birthday? It may have crossed your mind to ask for a free flight upgrade.
But could it really result in you sipping Champagne in a sky-high armchair or will you simply get an eye roll from the airline staff?
Frequent flyers from Reddit’s travel community have weighed in on the topic, sharing real-life experiences and insights on how flight upgrades work.
To back it up, Euronews Travel spoke to some of Europe’s biggest international airlines to find out how upgrades are assigned.
Here’s what we found out.
Are free upgrades at the gate just in the movies?
Sadly, it seems the days of free flight upgrades at the gate are, mostly, long gone.
“It did happen in the old days,” says one Reddit user in response to the question, “Are free upgrades at the gate just in the movies?”
“In the late 1990s I was upgraded by the gate supervisor to first class on a flight from DC to Paris. I was dressed for the part and just politely asked for an aisle seat on a very full flight.”
Others, similarly, say they have not been given a free upgrade for some time now.
“I haven’t been upgraded since 2013,” says one frequent business traveller who was bumped up to business class on a trip from Seattle to France. “I’ll never forget that flight. Mimosas before takeoff. Five-course meal with an ice cream sundae cart,” they add.
“Now with credit card loyalty everywhere, it’s no longer a thing,” suggests another Reddit user.
This premise was confirmed by some airlines contacted by Euronews Travel.
“SWISS has very clear guidelines; these include, for example, ensuring that our most loyal customers are the first to benefit from an upgrade,” says Meike Fuhlrott, spokesperson for Swiss International Air Lines.
‘I frequently get surprise upgraded’
Some travellers have experienced this first hand.
“I frequently get surprise upgraded on short European flights due to my [frequent flyer] status,” shares one Reddit user.
“My husband has the highest status on our [Star] Alliance and actually got the white whale once – a free surprise upgrade from premium economy to business class on a 12-hour flight from California home to Europe,” they continue.
But, they add, the upgrades are assigned automatically: “In all these cases it’s not something we ask nicely for and get for free. It’s done automatically and we just get a notification in the app saying our seat has changed.”
Whether your frequent flyer status is likely to land you an upgrade rests on the programme, competition from other passengers, and the route, day and time of the flight.
How are flight upgrades decided?
In many cases, last-minute upgrades are the result of an oversubscribed flight.
“As a general principle, we do not offer spontaneous free upgrades,” says the spokesperson for SWISS. “However, there may be an upgrade if a selected travel class is slightly overbooked and there are still free seats in the next higher class.”
Lufthansa shares a similar policy: “If a travel class is fully booked, and if another higher travel class still offers empty seats, our staff is entitled to decide to upgrade passengers for free upon their own decision,” media spokesperson Boris Ogursky tells Euronews Travel.
Virgin Atlantic also says that on “rare occasions when an aircraft is oversold in Economy or Premium”, they may offer complimentary upgrades to higher cabins.
“This is completed by our airport teams who have a clear process and defined order of priority to follow,” a spokesperson for the airline explains.
Depending on availability, both Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic may also offer last-minute upgrades on selected flights for a fee.
“If we have available seats in higher cabins, they will be available for purchase at the airport either with money or points,” the Virgin Atlantic spokesperson confirms. They add, however, that “we encourage our customers to upgrade during online check-in to make the airport experience as seamless as possible.”
KLM also offers last-minute paid upgrades in case of availability in a higher travel class.
Some airlines auction spare seats to the highest bidder: European carriers that offer bid upgrades include Aer Lingus, Brussels Airlines, Icelandair, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
“Customers can bid for available upgrades online up to two days before departure,” says the spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic.
‘Happened to me and actually on our honeymoon trip’
For some lucky passengers, however, dreams do come true.
“Happened to me and actually on our honeymoon trip!” shares one Reddit user. “While dropping our bags, I asked if they could check for seats next to each other for us, since it’s a long flight and we’re going on our honeymoon.”
Their request was passed on to the gate staff, “in case someone doesn’t show up and they get two seats next to each other”. When they boarded their flight, they were granted business class seats.
“Man what a surprise it was,” they recall. “All I asked for was two seats next to each other, and we did get it, but in business instead of economy!’
It’s unclear how recently the incident took place, however – and others sharing similar stories place them far in the past.
“More than 10 years ago (so this probably isn’t a thing anymore) the person at the gate saw that it was my birthday so they upgraded me to first class for free,” says one Reddit user.
“This was an international flight on British Airways. I’ve never flown first class before or since then, but I’ll never forget getting a little cup of warm nuts and thinking, ‘Mmmmm…I could get used to this.’”
Occasionally, it seems getting on the good side of airline staff can land you a discretionary upgrade.
“In the early 1990s… a grown woman was being an absolute monster to the gate agents because she wanted a window seat, they were almost in tears,” one Reddit user shares. “I stepped up and told them she could have mine. They upgraded me to first class.”
And other times, luck of the draw and travelling solo help the stars align.
“I travel solo for business quite a bit, and have been bumped up several times to accommodate families that have wanted to sit together,” one Reddit user shares.
It’s worth looking out for special promotions, too, says the spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic.
“Occasionally, we may run fun, promotional events which result in a complimentary upgrade for one lucky customer,” they say.