How to scam an upgrade to 1st class

[fordOwner]

Yeh I dont get it. Family, friends and work mates tell me all the time "Yeh and I was upgraded to first class!"
Out of ALL say 300 people on the plane how did they get picked?!?!?!?
It has to be someone I suppose - but its never me.
Yeh im jealous!

[Romulus]

There's no first class travel in domestic flights. Unless one of the international flights is used in a domestic route. It happens frequently with flights coming to Perth, then heading to Singapore or Narita.

I understand emergency exit seats cannot be booked or allocated at quick check-in stands. You have to ask for exit seat at the check-in counters, as the staff need to see you are physically capable of opening the exit door.

I'd highly recommend not getting any further down the isle than the wing. The noise difference sitting infront compared to behind the engines is huge! I always aim for seats 20-35 when flying domestic. I can only speak from my experience flying Qantas, would never fly Virgin domestic.

[Giant Cranium]

you need to be helpfull like giving up your seat on an overbooked flight. moving seats when asked,
or just know someone that works in seating and get them to give you an upgrade. the last one is what i did and it was so nice in first class in a singlet boardshorts and thongs

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by captain awesome

you need to be helpfull like giving up your seat on an overbooked flight. moving seats when asked,
or just know someone that works in seating and get them to give you an upgrade. the last one is what i did and it was so nice in first class in a singlet boardshorts and thongs

On a trip back from LA once, the flight was extremely overbooked because of some late connecting flights the day before (I was on one of them...) :( They asked for volunteers to give up seats and were promised Business Class the next evening and paid overnight accommodation and breakfast. Had I not already spent one night in LA and waited 12 hours for my 10pm flight, I may have been tempted.

[Giant Cranium]

i did that 12 hour wait to. you never get that time back do you? and 1 night in la airport region is way to long!

[ltd]

Try 4 nights.

OK, a little trade secret that usually works; if you're on a full flight, wait for the plane to pushback and even begin to taxi, then call a stewardess over and tell her that there is something wrong with your seat. When she asks what, tell her that there is a bar or spring broken and it is sticking uncomfortably into you. Now, this only works if you are on a full flight; but she will then have to move you to another seat.
If there are no more economy seats then she will have to find the next best thing, or even one better. It works because the cost of turning the aircraft around coupled with the fact that the gate is probably already occupied by another plane means there is very little options left. The aircraft cannot take off without all passengers seated. A few people I know have done this successfully.

[mcnews]

I recently got upgraded from premium economy to business class on a Sydney to London leg without even asking for it! A pleasant surprise for sure. I used points to upgrade on the way back.

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by captain awesome

i did that 12 hour wait to. you never get that time back do you? and 1 night in la airport region is way to long!

No.. and it's not like LA airport is a fun place to browse around. Wouldn't have been so bad if you could check your luggage in early but as it was, I had 2 bags and my notebook bag in tow the whole day - just waiting - so it would have been a monumental PITA to do anything else but wait impatiently in the airport.

Thankfully they had wireless broadband and I found a rare place where I could connect to a power point, made the time go by just a little quicker.