Your travel tips: How to blag a free flight upgrade

Your travel tips: How to blag a free flight upgrade Rex

AOL Travel user Barbara Ward, from Stoke-on-Trent, managed to receive 13 out of 14 free flight upgrades on a trip around the world with her husband.

We wanted to know what Barbara's secret was and asked her to share her tips for blagging a free flight upgrade...

'Be very pleasant when checking in and never ask for an upgrade - a smile and a greeting are a must,' she says.

'Have a frequent flyer card (even if it is your first trip and you have joined but not received the card, make sure you quote the number as you check in). We had a Star Alliance card which lots of airlines are affiliated to and have joined frequently flyer programmes for every airline that we have ever flown with.

The 67-year-old advises wearing the right clothing and shoes too. She says: 'Always dress smartly. Jackets are a must for men and leather shoes - never trainers or 'sand shoes' as I was once told.

'When I was being upgraded the lady on the desk actually asked to see my footwear. I was wearing well-polished leather flat shoes. Scruffy shoes are only good for those who have paid to be in First/Business class - not for anyone wanting a free upgrade.

On that trip we had 14 flights and were upgraded on all but one (either to Business or Premium economy). They were all scheduled flights, of course. It never happens on charter flights.'

Thanks for the advice Barbara! If you have any travel trips of your own that you'd like to share with us, visit our Facebook page or leave a comment below.

Browse more tips for getting a free seat in Business or First class...

Ten ways to get a free flight upgrade

Join an airline loyalty programme
 Keep your eye on the prize: elite status. Airlines will give priority for upgrades to top-tier members. Pick an airline and stick to it. If you are a regular customer you are more likely to get those three coveted letters: SFU (Suitable For Upgrade) next to your name on the passenger list. Also, there are often rewards for accumulating miles quickly (usually over one calendar year) and different "perks" are awarded each time you hit a certain mileage tier.
Choose your carrier carefully
 Points systems are not born equal. For example, with <a href="http://www.aircanada.com/en/home.html" target="_blank">Air Canada</a>, you can only use points for complete bookings in economy or business and cannot use points to upgrade from an economy ticket. If booking on <a href="http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/home/au/en" target="_blank">Qantas</a>, you can buy an upgradeable economy ticket and request for an upgrade to premium economy or business. <a href="http://www.britishairways.com/travel/globalgateway.jsp/global/public/en_" target="_blank">British Airways</a>, on the other hand, makes it nearly impossible for those who fly economy short-haul flights to ever earn enough points to make it to the next level.
Travel alone
 Obviously, this might not be possible! But it's worth bearing in mind that if you are travelling as part of a small group, an airline may not be able to upgrade everyone and, therefore, won't upgrade anyone at all.
Check in late
 Checking in late means the economy seats are likely to have been filled, meaning you may get booked directly to business class. This is a very risky strategy, of course, as you chance not being able to get a good seat in economy, or getting split up from your travel partner.
Be plane picky
 Pick a flight that will be using a plane with a large first class cabin. You can find out this information from sites like <a href="http://www.seatguru.com/" target="_blank">Seat Guru</a>.
Volunteer to give up your seat
 Have time to spare? Every so often an airline will oversell the flight and will need volunteers to give up their seat. If you don't mind the delay, you can score a flight voucher and/or a free upgrade certificate (they've done this before on <a href="http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/homepage" target="_blank">Cathay Pacific</a>), and, before long, could find yourself happily snoozing in first class.
Pay full fare
 If you purchased a full fare ticket and travel on an oversold flight, then you also have more potential for a courtesy upgrade.
Look smart
 This won't be the reason why you get an upgrade, but not being dressed suitably could be why you don't. Take Victoria Beckham - we reckon she's never travelled economy in her life.
Charm your way
 Once upon a time, being nice could result in someone at the check-in counter upgrading your seat. Nowadays, stories like that seem more like an urban myth. It may be rare, but it has worked in the past. When experiencing an airline issue, if you ask to speak to management and you articulate yourself in a professional, calm yet confident manner, you can find that you can get a free upgrade (if not this flight, perhaps another for another time) or other perks like free lounge access.
Marry a flight attendant or pilot
 Practicality aside, if all else fails, this is a surefire way of increasing your upgrade odds. Knowing someone working for the airline definitely helps. Even if you can't get an upgrade for free, as family, you can purchase discounted business class tickets.