Going long haul next week, so what’s the best way to get a free bump up to Business? Brazenly ask or come up with some story or book in early/late, etc.?

Airline is EVA Air (Taiwanese) if it makes any difference.

No harm in asking, but you’ll be lucky. Most airlines these days have a policy of not bumping people up and if they do they’ll save it for their gold level frequent flyer members who are in economy, and only then they’ll do it to squeeze on another fair paying passenger if there is space in business.

15 years of business travel, mostly in economy and i’ve only ever been bumped up twice. Once to business class with BA and once with Emirates to First.

No point in creating a premium service and bumping up the great unwashed for free. It devalues it for those who have paid the proper fair, and at the end of the day it is the business class passengers that are actually generating profit for the airline. Economy will break even at best or even make a loss. There is a huge gap between the cost of an economy ticket and business ticket.

Option 1 – pay for it.
Option 2 – foolishly believe that dressing nicely, asking politely, checking in first, checking in last, or something else will work.

Upgrades are done in order. If they’re overbooked, they’ll bump someone up. First choice is usually top tier frequent flyers from business to first or the same group from PE to business, etc. Then the next tier of frequent fliers, and so on. Every airline will have a slightly different way of doing it.

If it’s your first time flying with them, your chances are probably zero. Sorry.

I always fly as SIR or DR YGH

Doesn’t work

I’ve likewise been flying pretty regularly for the last 10 years, and making sure my tickets are booked as Dr. Even with a medium level of frequent flyer status I’ve never managed an upgrade, even when there are clearly free seats and I’ve asked on the basis of my bad back. Just learn to embrace economy.

Until the frequent fliers arrive,…
(edit: Damn, those motherhubbards type quickly !)

If not on a tight schedule, I’d do electronic check in & get a seat number, then turn up lateish but still within the slot. You might just get the offer of a bump to another flight which you might barter up to a better seat (or just take the cash).
This has happened twice to me, both timnes with wife & kids and we didn’t take the offer either time 🙄

Have you got an old pair of crutches? Walking into an airport on them is an amazing experience. Whisked through, put on a beep beep trolley, everything. If you say you’ve twisted your knee and can’t bend it you never know what you might get.

Yes, I had a major back spasm after a ride the day before a Neilson windsurfing and mountain biking holiday and couldn’t move without the crutches for a day or so.

My mate has been bumped up just about every time he’s flown with Virgin. But then he’s married to a Virgin hostie (ultimate oxymoron?) and has always been with her when flying. So marry a hostie, bosh.

We have a few contacts in BA who put a note in the pilots notes for us but it never led to an upgrade. Only time we ever got upgraded was when a family member was captain and even then it was only 50-50. Nice though.

So the whole bump up thing is a myth. Ah well, economy it is…

As above, however the exception is if economy is overbooked, they’ll first offer paid upgrades (often cheap – I’ve been offered first for under a couple of hundred pounds before), then they’ll start giving them away free. Some airline status (top tier delta from memory) automatically gives upgrades if there’s space, as mentioned above if you’re flying on a ‘staff’ fare, you’ll be high up too. if you’re non-status you’ll be bottom of the pile

I was sat next to a girl on an Emirates flight recently, who wasn’t a frequent flyer, but who’d been upgraded to business class at random because they’d switched planes and never had enough seats in economy. She was having a great time – was half drunk and had managed to spill a full glass of champagne all over herself before we’d even taken off 😀

Feign illness just after take off, go with vertigo/labrynthitis, puke up lots, fall over, (In other words get steaming) say it only helps if you lie down

Never been bumped up, not even on my honeymoon nor flying on staff tickets

I’ve been upgraded a few times from PE to business. The last time was a BA flight to Washington. Got a big Red Cross at the automated check in machine and told to go to service desk.

Lady there asked if I wanted the good news or the bad news. I opted for good news and got told I’d been bumped up. Apparently there was no bad news, she just wanted to see what kind of person I was. I still wonder if I’d have been bumped off the flight if I’d picked bad news.

My son travelled to Australia a few months ago,
(with Emirates I think), and got bumped up to First from Business – he couldn’t believe his luck. First class has individual compartments and unlimited champagne…

Unless there’s exceptionally fortuitous circumstances and you’re a top-tier frequent flier, economy>business upgrades just don’t happen.

I’ve also taken a downgrade on a flight just to get home.

We got bumped up a few years ago, bit of a queue in front of us lots of people moanng. We went up and were polite had a chat to the girl at the desk about how we were happy to wait as we’d waited 3 years for our trip to New York and she upgraded our flight. So no it’s not a myth.

Not so much a myth, as exceedingly rare! I’ve been bumped up in similar circs to Drac, ex-IAD when things were going wrong. I was polite about it, others hadn’t been. Equally, though, I’ve been upgraded out of nowhere at the gate. SYD-SIN with a steaming hangover (unshaven, board shorts,flip flops and dark bunnies!) , for example. They make a much better Bloody Mary in First!

I get rather a lot of upgrades, but then do rather a lot of flying, and almost all is business.

It’s not what you know but who. Sister in law is cabin manager, last flight we were on she got us all the extra leg room seats in the middle of the plane and free drinks/snacks. That’s just standard holiday flights though.

Rare yes but a myth no.

Yup that’s another way wrightyson knowing someone who drop a word to the cabin crew.

Have been bumped up once from business to first with Emirates coming back from the Middle East. Unfortunately it was only for the short leg of a two leg journey. We got bumped because it was the airline’s fault in booking our flights.

I was bumped up to business class on a BA flight from Shanghai a couple of years ago. I’d flown BA business class a couple of times several years before that but I’m by not a frequent flyer.
Just luck I think

Only offer I had was to bump to 1st on another flight the next day as current was overbooked. Offer of hotel overnight. The other flight wasn’t convenient sadly as would cause a lot of problems getting back a day later.

I’ve been bumped from cattle to business once, but that was when I was trolling back and forth to Australia fairly regularly and so had all the airmiles.

Was it heathrow-singapore or singapore brisbane/perth?

No, it was Gatwick-Lisbon on TAP for a mates stag do. Worst upgrade ever. Still a nice feeling when you get the big red cross at boarding, and the hostie grins, tears your pass in half, and gives you another one…

Being top tier frequent I used to get front row of economy and that was about it.

Feign illness just after take off, go with vertigo/labrynthitis, puke up lots, fall over, (In other words get steaming) say it only helps if you lie down

err that’s how you get bumped off the flight for not being fit to fly

I’ve only ever been bumped up a class once, from Alize class (kind of like EU shorthaul business class) to First class (full reclining seatbeds) on Air France transatlantic. Basically there were too many of us to fit in Alize, so 5 of us were going to have to be bumped somewhere (1st, cattle or another flight). Not sure what rules they applied.

Shame AirFrance lost the luggage in Paris, and I had to wait 6 days before DHL delivered it.

I don’t do a lot of travelling but got bumped up from cattle to Business many years ago. Late to the airport (Australian hosts were quite relaxed about check in times), dressed like tramps and were warned we not not even get seats together for the Brisbane – Singapore flights. Got to the departure gate (as they check pp before boarding and were told to step aside).

Tried to argue that we’d been promised seats together and was literally told to ‘shut up, you’re in business’!!

The plane touched down briefly in Sydney en route and we were the only two not to get off for a walk around – we were convinced they would hoik us out if we moved!

Being top tier frequent I used to get front row of economy and that was about it.

That can be better for sleeping than a business class seat on a lot of airlines.

It’s only ever happened when I’ve booked bassenet seats and folk with children needed the seats. And even then bumped to premium economy – but that’s cool with me it’s good to have somewhere that my femur physically fits between the chair backs !

Had it in ba , Malaysian airlines and
Happened last week coming back from Angola on KLM

Managed to get front row economy to Vancouver yesterday but no kids needed the seat.

But other than that rarely even see folk getting bumped.

Happened to me once. Was probably Silver or Gold tier on BA at the time, and were were on an airmiles holiday to Bermuda.

We had booked PE out, and Business back. They bumped us to Business on the way out too.

What you can do, if you’re on a full-fare economy, is get to the airport early and go to the ticketing desk to see if your full fare econ can be exchanged for exact flight business. I used to do this coming home from Eastern Europe – cost was often minimal.

Coincidentally, I’m flying on Eva Air for the first time next week – hoping it’s not crap.

As an ATCO I’ve been bumped up a couple of times. Every other time we havent, we’ve been given complimentary champagne and usually a nice chat/moan with the pilot some point.

That’s only when a colleague has the time on the RT to pass a message to the pilot.

On one occasion, we (wife is ATCO) were flying to Geneva and our friend was in Heathrow tower. Anyways, flight gets airborne, cabin crew comes down from business and asks my wife “are you Mrs Cobrakai?”. The wife replies yes and cabin crew asked her to gather her things and follow her. Leaves me behind for ten minutes, which was making me feel very jealous, then cabin crew comes back down with a grin. “sorry Mr cobrakai, the Tower said you were not allowed an upgrade as you’re a scruffy northerner, but we’ve found you a seat!”.

It helps to have friends in the industry.

You may not get a free upgrade but there may be the option of an upgrade at deduced rate.

I once flew to Hong Kong with Virgin and while we were getting seated etc… They offered an upgrade to premium economy for only £50 which I thought was a pretty good deal on such a long flight.

Some bloke got to it first bit couldn’t find his card to pay so I manged to get the seat instead.

I find more often than not two crisp £50 notes in each passport can work wonders……

I used to fly regularly, quite often the difference between ‘fully flexible’ economy (company travel policy) and business class in Europe was as little as a tenner. Travel with a colleague whose Gold and checking-in together often worked – happened a few times on transatlantic. 20 years of frequent flying and my preference is staying at home

I taught the son of the Chief Pilot of a big airline. Think it was Cathay. I asked him how to get these miraculous upgrades and he said the only way he could do it was to buy the tickets for me.

Suck it up princess seems to be the best answer.

Had an upgrade for the Dublin to Brum leg of an Air Lingus flight back from New York. I kid you not. The only discernible difference was getting on first, getting a free drink & seeing the plebs cast out of sight behind a curtain.

Doesn’t seem to be any specific golden rule but if you are a high status frequent flyer then it happens a bit more. I was commuting NZ to Uk for a while and flying biz, had a couple of 1st class emirates upgrades from Sydney to Dubai. Biggest problem was eating too much and getting far too p1ssed ! Air NZ were v good and put a bottle of highland park on bird if I was booked – nice touch (they serve glenmorangie)

It’s a business. I’ve been downgraded twice by BA from Business and upgraded maybe once from economy to economy plus by Cathay.

I don’t think there’s a magic solution – if they’re overbooked in economy, they’ll upgrade but usually at the last minute. It may help to arrive late and without a boarding pass.