Free flight upgrades?

Steve1982

I am off to the Maldives in a few weeks with my girlfriend and are wondering what the chances/likelihood of being offered a free upgrade is?

The reason I ask is partly because my friend flew to NYC with BA recently and got given a free upgrade but mainly because I am flying with Monarch who are by all accounts incredibly unconfortable on long haul. I looked into upgrading myself but I think it works out at about £130 each which we really cant afford as we stretched our budget to be able to afford our dream holiday - just worried it could be ruined by a terrible flight.

So any stories (the amusing the better) of how people have got upgrades in the past and any tips for getting one would be appreciated!

GlennTheBaker

This is asked fairly frequently so there are already threads on here about this subject. Do a search of this forum and you'll find exactly what you're after.

windowshopping

sorry but most charters don't offer free upgrades- they'd let the seat go empty first.
i flew with monarch a couple of weeks ago and there were plenty of extra leg room seats available,the (rather tall) bloke behind me asked if he could move to switch the stewardess smiled sweetly and said of course - but for a price! they make an announcement after take off to say they have seats available to sell if anyone wants them.

dmg24

Glenn is right, has been discussed a great deal on here.

But just to summarise, the chances of getting a free upgrade on Monarch is about ... zero. I wouldn't even pay to upgrade on Monarch, I would see if you could change your flights to Emirates instead.

Crabman

Read Martin's Article: How to get a flight upgrade which covers the subject in pretty good detail, good luck, it's always nice having extra legroom!

sandy2_2

We´re flying back from the carribean on a Thomson flight later this year, anyone know what their upgrade ppolicy is or even if they have upgrades

lynn44

Hi sandy
We flew back from florida with thomsons, on check in we were asked if we wanted to upgrade for about $200
once on board they will ask again if anybody wants to upgrade, it was certainly lot cheaper once asked at the airport....so dont be tempted to book before you go.... have nice holiday, you lucky thing

katiekittykat

After reading "Air babylon" and what they do to you when you ask for a free upgrade i am never going to ask again! Lol.

WiseInvestor_2

With a route like the Maldives, EVERY passenger is on their 'special flight' be it their once-in-a-lifetime, their dream holiday or their honeymoon.

The airport staff and cabin crew are completely immune to requests so the only realistic way to get an upgrade is to pay for it.

BA's upgrade policy is very different and their aircraft are configured differently inside, so the sales teams try to sell as many seats in each cabin up to a year before departure without knowing which particular aircraft will be used on the day. If the combination of outbound and return sales makes upgrading a commercial viability, they will seek to move the necessary 'few' by one cabin (ie. Club World to First, then World Traveller Plus into Club World and then (and only then) World Traveller into World Traveller Plus). Consequently, many passengers choose to pay the relatively low price to upgrade to World Traveller Plus (premium economy) knowing that their chances of a further free upgrade into Club World is SIGNIFICANTLY enhanced.

Enjoy your trip. Just make the flight part of your holiday - don't let anything spoil it since you've paid good money to enjoy yourself.

richardw

WiseInvestor wrote: »

many passengers choose to pay the relatively low price to upgrade to World Traveller Plus (premium economy).

er £220 per sector isn't a low price

"Why not upgrade?
Why not upgrade and enjoy the extra comforts of World Traveller Plus"

• Upgrade on outbound flight from £220 per person

Sam_Bee

richardw wrote: »

er £220 per sector isn't a low price

"Why not upgrade?
Why not upgrade and enjoy the extra comforts of World Traveller Plus"

• Upgrade on outbound flight from £220 per person

I find it a suitable enough incentive on a twelve hour flight.