Many people cannot afford to upgrade to first class because airlines demand too much in exchange for a slightly more comfortable seat. You might have thought that first class is limited to the elites, but that’s not true because there are certain strategies that allow you to fly first class for almost free.

Book A Flight With Vacant Seats

One of the best ways to potentially get upgraded to first class is to book a flight with empty seats, increasing the chances of you securing a first-class experience. It’s important to check the number of vacant seats on a flight and engage in a blind bid to increase your chances of success.

When flights are booked to the brim, it is almost impossible to upgrade your seat for free, which is why it helps to look at seat maps when booking your seat. By boarding at the end, you can check if there is an open exit row and ask the flight attendant if it is possible to accommodate you in a premium seat. Taking this strategy is one way you can up your chances of securing a first-class seat.

Wait For The Right Time To Upgrade Your Seat

The best time to look for a seat upgrade on a flight is to wait until most people have boarded and see if you can bid for an empty first-class seat. Since empty first-class seats are of no value to airlines, you may be able to strike a good deal if you negotiate and are willing to pay more than your economy seat.

You can access the airline website and enroll in a blind auction, allowing you to bid the right amount of money to get a vacant seat. Since you don’t know how much others are bidding, you need to be aware of how many vacant seats there are and how much to bid. 

You can consult Expertflyer to check how many empty seats there are on your airline. A good rule of thumb is to bid more than the minimum and up to 40% of the cost difference between your current and desired seat.

Unconventional Strategies

You hear many stories from passengers about how they managed to upgrade their seats by taking unconventional strategies, leading to upgrade opportunities not involving bids. You may be able to get away with politely appealing to a gate agent, who may grant you the upgrade if there are any available.

However, many people have probably approached them with the same thing in mind, which means the chances of success are pretty low. In some instances, airlines upgrade your seat for free and other times, they charge you without you having asked for the upgrade, which is something to keep in mind.

Final Notes

It is certainly possible to upgrade your ticket to first class, especially if there are vacant seats on the airplane. You may also attempt to enroll in a blind bid and pay just a bit more money than your standard ticket to potentially get a much better seat.