Tag Archives for upgrade.
Airline upgrade advice never stops circulating, even though much of it is nonsense. From dressing nicely to hinting at a special occasion, travelers keep hearing that the right attitude or outfit can unlock first class. In reality, upgrades mostly go to elite status, paid offers, and airline-controlled systems — not to whoever looks most deserving at the gate.
Delta and Marriott have perfected the same loyalty trick: strip the meaningful upgrades, then convince customers they still got one—whether it is Comfort Plus instead of first class, or a fourth-floor room and a “you’ve been upgraded” packet.
A newlywed tech executive asked Twitter whether he should take a solo upgrade or sit with his wife in coach. Minutes later, he posted the answer — from Emirates first class.
Cheap ‘first class buy ups’ can be a great deal even as they make elite status so much less valuable. I recently purchased a couple of them and it caused me to refresh my thinking around how much I’m willing to pay.
A United Airlines passenger flying from Houston to Austin on Monday found a self-upgrader in their seat when they boarded. They were supposed to be in a first class window seat, but a woman was already there. The first class passenger offered, “I’m seat F,” but the woman declared “I’m more comfortable here.”
The Trump family stayed at St. Regis D.C. for the inauguration, based on video shared by President Trump’s granddaughter Kai who took on a much larger profile this past summer at the Republican Convention.
Here’s a woman who got upgraded and her husband didn’t. She takes video of him in back. And he clearly gives her stink eye.
When a guest at Marriott’s Courtyard Crystal City/Washington National airport complained about the property’s upgrade policies, the hotel general manager responded – and laid out why he prefers not to make upgrades available to elite members.
Do not assume that you have been upgraded and certainly do not assume you’ve been given the best possible room that you’re entitled to under a program’s benefits. You do often have to ask. One chain hotel GM even says that guests who don’t request an upgrade aren’t entitled to one.
Here’s an interesting twist on a husband and wife traveling together, with only one upgrade seat available. Some believe that they should both suffer coach in order to stay together. Others see it differently. It’s just a few hours. Besides, if you love your partner you wouldn’t wish economy on them.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
