Flight attendant debunks three myths about flight upgrades

Just how easy is it to get upgraded to business or first class on your flight? Photo / Getty Images

Getting upgraded to business or first class on a flight for free is a luxury we all dream of.

We’d all love to be tapped on the shoulder by a friendly flight attendant and ushered to a nicer seat, but just how easy is it to get in the airline staff’s good books?

No one knows the ins and outs of this mysterious process better than cabin staff themselves, and now a former crew member for Emirates has shared some sage advice about getting those coveted upgrades.

A first-class seat on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. Photo / Supplied

Speaking to the Daily Mail, former flight attendant Jay Roberts, who runs the website Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew, has debunked several of the myths we’ve been led to believe - and revealed what you should be doing instead.

Myth 1: Flight attendants can upgrade anyone they want

Roberts tells MailOnline Travel that “upgrades are not candy”.

He explains that these days, it’s not often airline staff have upgrades to hand out, and they don’t just give them to anyone.

“The notion of a beautiful young air hostess coming to tap you on the shoulder and sneak you to a better seat up the front is a dream from a bygone golden era when airlines were bankrolled by their governments, tickets were handwritten, and computers couldn’t track every move staff made,” he said.

Most airlines are privately owned these days and thus less generous, and their most expensive product is their premium seating.

Roberts warns customers not to look for travel “hacks” on social media.

“If there is a TikTok video of a young flight attendant exploiting their uniform for likes, telling you something different, that’s clickbait, and you fell for it. Even those that work for an airline for the perks of cheap or free flights are finding it harder to sit up front.

“Upgrades used to be a prime reward for airline staff, but even those are getting rarer as airlines get more creative in using upgrades to generate more money.”

Be nice to airline employees because you're a good person, not because you want a good upgrade!

— A Fly Guy's Crew Lounge (@AFlyGuyTravels) June 17, 2023

Myth 2: You can get flight upgrades for free

While it may sound counterintuitive, Roberts reveals the best way to get a flight upgrade is to pay for it - or earn it. In other words, loyalty is key.

“Airlines use unsold first or business-class seats as scraps given away like tasty treats to frequent fliers to reward them for their allegiance to the airline or its alliance,” he reveals.

“Pick the airline or airline alliance that suits you best, and fly with them the most. Once you gain elite status, you will be the one they pick to upgrade when the time comes for it. You can also use miles earned through airline points and miles to upgrade. Credit card points are also a great way to snag free seats up the front.

“Some airlines even hold auctions or deeply discount the seats if they have yet to sell close to the day of departure to prevent the sweet seats from going empty or being used as a free upgrade for a frequent or staff traveller.”

Myth 3: You can charm your way to an upgrade on the day you fly

You can flatter, flirt or otherwise charm yourself into a first-class seat just before you board the plane, right?

Not quite. Roberts reveals that in his days as a flight attendant, if he had an upgrade to hand out - and there were no employees or elite passengers on a waiting list - his first pick would be a “kind human” or an elderly passenger.

A poll on A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew Lounge, a social media network for flight attendants, revealed that most airline staff could only give out free upgrades in “extreme circumstances”, he added - and it comes with “a mound of paperwork”.

“In the rare circumstances of a regular passenger without a frequent flyer elite status getting a free upgrade due to the flight being oversold, the employee responsible for handing over the golden ticket is the gate agent. Even more reason to be nice to ground staff as they hold the power of choosing who gets picked if economy is oversold and they need to upgrade a few lucky ones,” he shares.

It’s also important to note that handing out upgrades willy-nilly can have consequences for staff.

“Most cabin crew and gate agents from major airlines worldwide confirmed that if they are caught giving free upgrades, it’s seen as theft, and the employee could face disciplinary action if they took the chance and made the cabin swap without swiping a credit card.”