There are all kinds of ways to score a first or business class seat, aside from outright paying for it (either with cash or miles). Often you can use miles or upgrade instruments to secure a premium seat, while in other situations airlines offer complimentary upgrades to elite members.
Continue reading: What Are Operational Upgrades On Flights? How Do You Score Them?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Weirdly the only one I’ve gotten in the last 5 years was on AA. Was flying AUS-RDU around New Years 2023 with a family of four (and thus not eligible for upgrades with my Plat status) and must have been a very elite light but coach heavy flight. All four of us sent up to F on the E175
On Emirates I have had 5 'op-ups' on SYD-AKL (economy to business class) on Emirates out of the 6 legs I flew (3 round trips) in 2016/2017. FWIW I am Qantas Platinum and Emirate seem to treat QF the same as their own members when flying on Emirates on most flights around the region and to Europe. On one of the trips I was travelling with a good friend on the same booking and they upgraded him as well. So sad those a380 flights over to NZ have disappeared, was such a nice way to hop across the 'ditch'!
I have had at least 5 upgrades in international segments. The first one was with Delta, I used to be a Skyteam member then flying Continental and Air France. It was from Paris to Delhi( yes, Delta used to fly that segment) and Delta had cancelled the previous days flight from Paris. I was upgraded to business class. After that twice with United, from EWR to Delhi(both times overbooked) once in SIA ( Singapore to Cok, again overbooked ) and few months ago in LH ( Munich to DEL). Almost always, it has been when the flight is overbooked and I think my United Gold status helped in the last 4.
I’ve gotten a few operational upgrades as well. The last time was earlier this year on an MEA flight from BEY to FRA. Was upgraded at check-in from economy to business class. But that was alsoninteresting because I noticed 3 or 4 people who were in the economy check in line were also upgraded to business class as well.
We got our most memorable upgrade on BA, from San Diego to London on Christmas Day. We had purchased Premium Economy and they called us up to the gate and gave us Business class seats. Of course that then spoiled us for flying economy ever since!
I've gotten plenty of operational upgrades on CX. From birthdays to overbooked flights. I've gotten upgrades from economy to business before the days of premium economy and even economy straight to business on flights with premium economy along with economy to premium economy upgrades. I worked my way up from a lowly Green all the way up to Diamond and earned status by flying economy with some regional business and premium economy thrown in.
Seems honestly a bit disingenuous to be titling a story "how do you score them" when there's really no way other than 1) be high status and 2) be high paying. As if there are quick steps that anyone can take any more to even try. Probably the more accurate title would be "Operational upgrades: rare, and probably going to the top customers".
I would add that being alone on your booking helps a ton. Op ops for couples/families is rare. But I agree that it’s a nice feeling to scan the boarding pass at the gate and get upgraded. Obviously this does not apply to award bookings.
I've had such luck before on ANA in the last year. I booked into premium economy with seat selection blocked out in the hopes that it was being oversold and they had to upgrade *someone* and that someone might be me, or I'd end up with a middle seat.
Had Gold and checked in last and sure enough they delivered their apology for sticking me in a window seat in C. They also called me while I was on the way to the airport to ask if I was actually going to turn up too...
No luck this year. PE seems to stop selling once allocation is exhausted on the flights I wanted.
Careful Aaron, the two hyphened words you used are likely to lead to a disciplinary black mark against your login …. just ask 1990, allegedly he knows all about the website nuances …. 🙂
I was flying non rev in the 1980s on Aloha Air from Maui to HNL. We were a party of 4 and the main cabin was full but first class was empty. My mother asked if it would be possible to upgrade other passengers into first so we could be accommodated. Jedi mind tricks. They let us have first class .
An op up is not always such good news when flying inside Europe. The last thing I need on flights up to a couple of hours long is getting kicked out of my nice exit row aisle seat and put into 4A, losing half of the leg space, having somebody reclining into me and needing to disturb my seatmate to go to the toilet.
On the bright side, it looks like airlines have listened to customer feedback and enhanced their seating allocation policies, making exit rows chargeable even for elite flyers during OLCI so that they can pocket the extra money then deny a refund because of the 'free upgrade'.
IN B4 someone says that pax can always refuse the op-up. If there's something I need even less than their silly 'upgrade', that's a flight delay caused by switching seats with someone who boarded twenty minutes ago when I was busy surveying the whisky collection in the lounge.
You don’t “score” an OP UPG.
It just happens. It depends on your FFP and your elite status. Most importantly, if the elite status of the FFP = the airline that you are flying with that day.
Stop sensationalizing your articles.
The problem is these often see a NASTY case of CORRUPTION whereby the airline staffers give FREE upgrades to their friends and family. This could very easily be considered a criminal matter through IATA.
Criminal ?? Hardly. Nothing to do with IATA nor is it fraud. Industry discount tickets also allow upgrades or are available in premium cabins. Employees of supermarkets also get concessions for instore purchases.
About 20 years ago, I had an operational upgrade on United from business to first (back when intl first existed) on a flight from AMS back to the US. I made some sort of comment on the upgrade on an FT thread and when I did, I thought to myself "that kid that goes by the name Lucky will probably congratulate me." And he (well, you) did! Funny how I still remember that.
Wrong, wrong, mostly wrong, irrelevant, irrelevant. I've been in this business a long time, walked the walk, and talked the talk. I know what I am saying.
I get op-ups frequently on Qatar Airways on certain routes I frequent. I mostly fly those routes during peak demand times, so Economy is typically oversold with Business Class barely sold on that route. I get those upgrades as a lowly AAdvantage Gold with Oneworld Ruby Status, always traveling alone when I got the op-ups.
They typically assign me the last available J seat, so a couple times, I have ended up next to government ministers and ambassadors (presumably because the seat next to them was blocked until the last minute). The conversations on those flights were always very interesting.
My op ups, all on AA and during the Christmas holidays. All were on the 3-class 777-200ER before they had first removed.
Economy to business: DFW-LHR
Business to first: CDG-DFW, BCN-MIA
Very rare today. Occasionally will occur with an RJ flight for weight and balance where coach has only a small number of passengers, usually a very short flight. No one should ever count on an operational upgrade.
Back when AA required paid/sticker upgrades for PLT and GLD they'd happen time from time. Always was a nice surprise.
Got a few op-ups on Cathay back in 2015-2019 timeframe. Usually when I booked a positioning flight in Y to take to/from HKG. Was oneworld emerald at that time and was almost always coming from/going onto a long haul flight in J/F.
Something to look out for too are op downgrades! Yes, these can happen too.
Will happen with a little more notice, giving you the opportunity to bail.
I have had a double upgrade from PE to first class on British Airways LHR-DFW. Before checkin for my connecting flight to LHR I could see that LHR-DFW would be in business and when I was onboard at Heathrow while passengers were boarding, a flight attendant came over and said they'd like to move me to first class. I think this was because they wanted two adjacent business class seats for a couple and I was a single traveller with empty seat next to me (this was upstairs on a 747 which had 2+2 seating).
I've only once gotten an operational upgrade- I was flying from Detroit to Shanghai on Delta. It was a surprise when it happened and I was absolutely delighted.
They do happen sometimes. Usually due to a last minute aircraft change to someone who had previously been upgraded.
LH SEN here. Fly a fair amount of J for work, and mostly coach privately within Europe. On popular routes (e.g. FRA-BCN) and especially around the holiday season(s), it has happened to me a quite a few times to get an operational upgrade to Business upon scanning my boarding pass to get on the plane.
Gates in FRA have some small printers incorporated and you'll see your boarding pass being initially denied and then hear the printer producing a small sheet with your new seat. Really delightful!