Getting upgrades

A question about : Getting upgrades

The wife and I are off on holiday for our 10-year anniversary soon. In the films, we'd be upgraded to first class and our hotel would give us a fancy suite but in real life does this really happen?

If so, any tips?

Thanks

Best answers:

• IME, being on the end of an airline screw-up helps. The one and only time I got upgraded was after there was a mess with the tickets and available seats on the plane/flights. They put us up to business class on the next one.
  ETA - I've just remembered another one, years ago and again after a mix-up in announcements several passengers missed a flight, so BA sent me first class on another airline, which was not the best advert for BA.
  Hotel upgrades are potentially easier. Just be polite, good-humoured and co-operative at the desk.
  Harassed staff tend to appreciate that and I've had several room upgrades over the years (most recently this January) by being the only reasonable guy in a queue full of R-soles.
• I think the general "rule" is that you are most likely to get an Operational Upgrade if you're a single traveller and sometimes when there is two of you.
  I've also read somewhere that some airports/airlines are not renowned for offering free upgrades, e.g. Emirates out of Manchester. I've also noted that for Emirate for e.g. most of the OU were for people with status, i.e. a member of their frequent flyer program. Perhaps look at joining?
  Which airline are you flying?
  Which airport are you flying out from?
  I suspect it's just down to luck??? Like you I would love love love a FREE upgrade, Good Luck.
• It doesn't really happen - on any flight there will be at least one honeymooning couple who fly maybe once every couple of years, however there will be a hundred regular customers to please. Instead, expect to be flying economy and book seats instead - there are some plane configurations where you can get 2 seats together (although nearer the loos).
  For the hotel, get a friend to call the hotel in advance with a credit card purchase of a bottle of champagne or some flowers to be waiting in your room - that tips the hotel off without you looking like a beggar!
• Of course, you could pay for an upgrade: if you are flying BA and have tickets for WTC then it only takes a reasonable number of Avios or Clubcard points to get into Club (Business) class...
• If I'm able I choose my own seats online, I check them weekly to see if anyone's in front or behind me & move myself around accordingly. If on the day of my flight I'm still not happy with my seat I ask if there's any bulkhead row or exit row seats, & I usually get them.
  If you're not happy with your room just ask if you can change. I've done it a few times without any problem.
  Good Luck & Happy Anni!
• do you have any status with the airline or hotel brand?
  upgrades on airlines come at a cost, you may be offered one in advance, depending on the airline, or they may be offered for sale at the airport.
  Airlines will upgrade for operational reasons but would normally look at solo passengers or at least those that hold status with them.
  Hotel, assuming you hold no status, you could maybe contact them in advance and ask how much it would be to upgrade to a better room or, if you do not want to pay, you would maybe contact the hotel and arrange a bottle of champagne in advance, explaining it is a special occasion and you may get lucky
  If upgrades were made too easy then fewer people would pay for the business class/suites etc
• Whos to say the flight you will be on isnt full of people celebrating their 11th anniversary or special birthday, wedding etc if you want an upgrade just pay for it.
  2 years ago i flew to ny on my 40th birthday and when i was asked at check in the purpose of my trip i didnt even get a "happy birthday" so its unlikely you'll get owt for free
• We (3 of us) were upgraded from WT+ to club last year coming back from Tokyo. I think it was just luck. We only found out when we did the bag drop at the airport. Both wt and wt+ had been oversold, and we may have got bumped as we checked in online exactly 24 hours previously, had no special meal requests and we had pre-paid at booking to choose our seats. Who knows. Or we were just lucky :-)
• The days of blagging airline upgrades are pretty much gone. It will usually only happen now if a cabin is oversold.
  Which airline, route and cabin are you booked in?
• I've had several hotel room upgrades over the years, but the hotel's definition of upgrade is often an extra three square feet of space or a view of a street instead of the bins.
  The only time I've ended up in a higher aircraft class than I'd booked came about on a flight to Paris because I incorrectly booked myself twice for the flight and had to ring Flybe for a correction of name on the booking.
  On arrival at the airport the bookings were clearly separate and we had to spend 40 minutes at check in while they sorted it out. There was lots of chat between staff and supervisors before we were issued our boarding cards.
  On boarding we headed to our seats and were pleased with the leg room (and having six seats between three of us). Then the hot towels and three course breakfast was served in crockery while cattle class passengers had a stale croissant thrown at them on the other side of a curtain.
  Good value for the Ј50 paid. But I'd never have paid Ј150 each extra for it!
• Never been upgraded to first class but have had front row seats or emergency exits but it helps knowing some of the crew. Regularly get hotel upgrades as I use them so often both for holidays and work.
• Where are you going? In the US hotel upgrades (or price discounts) are fairly easy to negotiate. Flights unlikely, but they might give you a freebee eg champagne.
• I've actually managed two recently out of the three flights I've taken
  The first was coming back from New York to Heathrow. Got upgraded from WT to WT+. Only found out when handed our boarding cards. I'm 2m tall, so always pay extra for a bulk head/fire exit seat. The bulkheads in WT are also the only spot for a baby cot. We think a family with baby needed the seat so we got moved up as the flight was full, but really have no idea why.
  The second was aerlingus. First time I have flown with them, and discovered I cannot physically sit in their seats! So little leg room it is ridiculous. I was ok going, as the other half and kiddie werein the same row, so I sat sideways with arm rest up.
  Coming back we could not all get the same row. Had a word with the stewardess, and she moved us up to the front. I had no idea that a tiny Aerlingus plane had another class! Much more room and practically nobody there. We actually had 3 rows between three of us!
• Like Kizkiz I don't actually fit in the tiny seats so always pay to sit nearer the front. Having said that I've been moved even further forward on a couple of occasions. I've no idea why, perhaps me & the missus just look like we belong there
• Myself, my 10 year old and my 8 year old were upgraded this summer. 3 people upgraded, 2 of them kids. I was wearing trainers and denim crops. Kids were wearing hoodies.
  I joined the frequent flyer scheme before we flew - first flight ever with the airline.
  No rhyme nor reason to it - just very grateful!
  Downside is daughter now wants to travel in business when we fly next time as she got a chef cooking exactly what she wanted to eat, she had a bed to lie in while she watched what she wanted on the TV and she had 5 hot chocolates!
  More details on this thread if you want to know company and thoughts as to why we were upgraded.
• When we flew on our honeymoon a few years back I tried my luck and all got was seat with extra legroom with American Airlines to Boston, which was still good being 6' 3".
  Only time it's happened hotel wise was following a complaint I made and manager said I could get a free upgrade next time I stayed- which they did and very nice it was too
• We have had some great free hotel upgrades , my husband always asks nicely. We got upgraded to Hyde Park View suite at Grovesnor Hotel once ( and that was without asking )!
  Its my understanding that airlines dont have much problem selling better class seats so very unlikely you'd get a free upgrade although I have known it happen to friends once , but he was a very very frequent flyer so i guess that helped
• Airlines its very rare, the only times I've had it is when they've messed up and then the smaller the number you are the better the chance as seats arent necessarily going to be together and the higher tier you are with the airline the more chance it has of happening.
  Upgrades in hotels are more common and you can on occasion go from a small room to a large suite. In Dublin we booked the 2nd lowest room grade but was given a named suite (its unclear the pecking order of each of the suites but there were junior, suite and deluxe suite before you got to the named rooms)
  You may also find the hotel may put flowers/ champagne or such in the room or do something for you. When we were in Dubai for our first anniversary we had an upgrade but that was part of our rate but there was champagne in the room when we arrived and each evening they delivered a chocolate cake after dinner, which was a tad excessive amounts of cake (taking a full 16" type thing not just a slice or such)
  The challenge can be getting the hotel to acknowledge its a special event and it is where using agents sometimes can help more than just booking via hotels.com or such. Certainly the travel booker I use they blunderbus the place with a phone call, on the booking request and an email to the general manager too. Certainly seems to help.