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Tips To Obtain An Upgrade To First Class

It is a fact that there are a lot of people who are eager to fly first class, but simply can not afford the money. But this does not mean they should give up all hope as there are some devious ways to enjoy the fabulous facilities of first class travel and occupy those plush, spacious seats.

Some people develop a proper rapport with the ticket counter agent under the mistaken belief that the agent can help them upgrade to first class. Please understand that most of the time, the agent will not be authorized to upgrade passengers – except in rare cases, where the passenger has a frequent flier status.

Even a frequent flyer must invariably have large number of miles to his/her credit to get the upgrade. At best, you can prevail upon the ticket counter agent to add a code to your ticket. The code will convey to the gate agent that you are potentially eligible for an upgrade. This may work with certain airlines but you will need to know which code to use, as each airline uses different codes for different situations.

In the event of your having a close friend or relative as an airline employee, your chances of an upgrade are quite bright. But it should not be forgotten that airlines will be more business-minded and if there is an upgrade to be sold, they will oblige their loyal frequent flyers.

There are some rare instances when a flight attendant will be able to upgrade passengers. In the unlikely event of your seat being defective and you cannot comfortably sit there, the flight attendant will have the discretion to allot you another seat. If no other seats are available and seats are available only in first class, you will be moved to first class.

Again, if you have some genuine problem with a fellow passenger sitting next to you and the flight attendant is convinced your complaint is legitimate, he can shift you to first class.

If you book your ticket through a travel agent, the agent may mark your reservation with a comment, OSI (Other Significant Information). This will indicate that you are a VIP or a leading industrialist or CEO of a multi-national corporation deserving special treatment. Airlines will be quick to offer you a free upgrade as they will be keen to corner more and more business by placating you.

Sometimes, it pays to book directly with the airline as there is a better possibility of getting an OSI added to your record. You can try for an OSI, even if you are a travel agent, travel writer, or event planner as the airlines will consider you a potential source to enlarge their business turnover.

Needless to say, if you are a frequent flyer, you can certainly use the miles to your credit to upgrade as long as there are seats available for upgrade. But not all seats are meant for frequent flyer upgrades, as the airlines will block some seats for fully paid customers so that their revenue gets a boost. Besides, each airline has its own terms and conditions for frequent flyers, miles and upgrades.

Contrary to popular perception, first class tickets are not unaffordable and, in fact, there are plenty of opportunities to buy discounted tickets. Though the cost may not be as cheap as coach tickets, still one can expect to buy first class tickets that are heavily discounted at affordable prices.

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