How airline business class upgrades really work

It’s not just the lounge, the seat or the cushy service that comes with it. Travelling business class, particularly on an international flight, is something to behold. It is also the most awkward, fake-face, semi-romantic, beg-and-hope dance travellers perform with airline staff in the hope of an upgrade.

Because whether domestic or overseas, an upgrade represents a brief escape into the good life while economy passengers elbow one another for overhead bin space or queue for the ablutions. Flying economy, especially on long-haul or low-cost carriers, is not for sissies. The problem is that most of this wisdom worked a few decades ago.

These days, you would be lucky to get lucky. Travel insurance companyInsureandGopartnered with a cabin crew member from Virgin Atlantic to unpack how upgrades actually work today, and why the urban legends refuse to die despite aviation systems having fundamentally changed. As one frequent flyer put it online, the dress-smart-and-mention-your-honeymoon advice belongs in the same historical archive as “walking your CV into an office on sturdy paper and expecting a firm handshake to land you a job”.

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Back then, gate agents had discretion. Today, every seat has a price and a data trail. According to airline staff, premium seats are sold until the last possible moment.

Upgrade lists are long and very ordered. On some flights, up to 80% of passengers may technically qualify for an upgrade through loyalty status or miles, all competing for a handful of seats. The maths alone makes spontaneous generosity unlikely, despite TikTok soothsayers noting otherwise.

A paying passenger in a seat is worth far more to an airline than a charming smile. One airline employee working at a European carrier said passengers often ask politely about upgrades, never explicitly saying “for free”, but clearly implying it. In reality, upgrades are either paid for in cash or airline miles.

The only regular exception occurs during peak travel periods when economy is oversold. In those cases, top-tier loyalty members are upgraded first. If seats are left over, it can sometimes come down to who was patient and decent at check-in.

Those moments, the employee said, are rare but satisfying. A ground service agent with 15 years experience at a US domestic carrier posted that he is asked for free upgrades about once a month, usually tied to birthdays or honeymoons. His estimated success rate sits at around 20% and depends entirely on how full the aircraft is, how his day has gone and how the passenger behaves.

It is not policy but in this case human discretion operating on the fringes. For most travellers though, the answer is simply no.

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