What do you need that upgrade for, economy is great! "Stop whingeing: five reasons flying economy class is great" http://www.smh.com.au/travel/holida...ng-economy-class-is-great-20140121-316jt.html
Economy class sucks ass, its exactly what our bovine friends experience when travelling to their tasty doom. The only difference is that the cows don't need to queue up to use the toilet. Stuff getting an upgrade for me, I'd love the cabin crew to upgrade the crying baby brigade to first class. EK first class passengers get noise cancelling headphones so they are instantly better equipped to deal with a baby crying non-stop for 17 hours straight than us plebs up the arse end of the plane with the terrible 1980s-walkman-style open ear headphones.
Ummm, bring your own headphones of whatever variety you want. And yeah, fucked if I know why new parents think it's a good idea to go on a holiday with their screaming annoyance which they'll never remember or appreciate anyway. /rant
If you're ever flying in prem-econ or business on VA, keep the powered noise cancelling headphones. They work in the economy seats.
Best way to "upgrade" is get an exit row seat. Then you get the legroom of the higher classes which, frankly, is what you'll get the most benefit from. Because all the airlines make you pay through the nose for an exit row booking they are often left unbooked (assuming the plane isn't full) - by memory I've only missed out once in the last dozen flights when asking at checkin if there are any exits free.
I have been on a few free/sponsored flights through work (I work in travel), and for these flights we have to dress nice (even though we are in economy), meaning leather shoes, shirt + trousers. Note that no matter how nice, Jeans are not considered nice or dress up. Some of the girls in our group even had to put longer skirts on. The airline want nice handsome business people in the front of the plane, so it gives a good vibe/image to all the people walking past to cattle class. Jeans is not part of this image. As for actually getting bumped, other than looking nice (business nice, not jeans/town nice), all the other tips/tricks are subjective. In December I traveled through europe with 30 travel agents for a 2 weeks and they all had different stories on how to do it. Bottom line: Look good, no jeans & its all up to luck/charm/the situation.
Ill just have to change the jeans to maybe some navy pants, which will go nicely with this pink mjbale shirt that I am going to wear. Should I fold the sleeves up or just wear them long? I might have a picture somewhere of what it would look like
don't check-in online that guarantees you a ticket on the flight if you turn up, if you don't check-in then the flight fills and there is a chance you will get bumped..... but there is also a chance you will miss the flight due to every seat being taken.... they will put you on the next flight and give you a flight for the same sector you are flying....
Little chance of upgrading so use http://www.seatguru.com/ to pick the best seats in economy. The last few rows on the side are good in a 747.
We turned up pretty early to check-in for our Auckland>Gold Coast flight last week and got upgraded to exit row without asking, which was nice. The extra leg room was great since I'm fairly tall, it did suck that the seats didn't recline though and it was a bit annoying not being able to have my small bag stowed under the seat in front.
so I have been in contact with one of my friends who works at Qantas. He was able to log onto their network and said that there were 29 business class seats left and doubts that they will be sold before the flight. He is going to call me back later today or tomorrow to see if he can put me on the 'upgrade list' for both 1st class and business. He said it would be easier to get business than 1st though, soo fingers crossed
Actually, I (and others) did forget to mention... One good was to raise your chances is to know the right person. Don't count on it, but this will probably be your best hope - ie. 0% chance to 10% chance. I presume you're flying with Quantas? Knowing the head flight attendant, or the pilot is probably the best way, though. Z...
Agreed. Pepsi, they won't let you buy from economy to first, just forget it - unless you want to drop many thousands. Even Y to J will probably be $1000/leg if you're lucky. You are better off ensuring that Y is full if you want to be upgraded, less that there's heaps of room in J.
my friend checked yesterday on the staff qantas site and said that there are 19 business class seats left on my flight, fingers crossed for when I check in later today
It's not about the business seats left, it's about how full the economy cabin is. It will need to be oversold.
Exactly. Give us the flight details and I'll see if Y is oversold. Even then you'll be at the back of the upgrade queue, I'm afraid.
I have certain things noted on my FF memberships with QF and VA. I get exit row upgrade if there is a seat left about 90% of the time, and have had a couple of PE/B upgrades from the cheap tickets. Not giving away my secrets, but I had a lovely chat and flirt with a rather attractive Virgin CSA at the counter in Rockhampton about 4 years ago on my way back to Brisbane. Subjects included how I prefer to fly Virgin, why would I want to get on a QLink Dash8 when an Embraer is much more quiet and comfortable....... Been much more successful with them since then so I am sure my account has been flagged. Make sure you book every flight with your FF membership. Domestically, quieter flights will always have an advantage. Departure mid-morning or late at night definitely helps. Dressing for business while even on holiday will help quite a bit, especially if you are in a somewhat FIFO area where most of the miners don't even shower before heading to the airport. Put on a smile, charm the counter and gate staff and you will have success.
