Travel + Leisure is a magazine that I enjoy. But its latest tip on how to score a “free” first class upgrade is nothing short of absurd.
Another Misleading How To Get A Free First Class Upgrade Article
The story begins with the tritest of cliches:
Sometimes getting an upgrade isn’t about the right timing or knowing the right people. Sometimes, it’s all about having the right outfit.
Maybe in the 1990s, but not in 2020, especially in the pandemic era. The only article of clothing people care about now is whether you are wearing a face covering. But even before the pandemic, this sort of advice is simply foolishness.
An unnamed flight attendant offered wardrobe tips:
“No jeans or trainers — so I always go for tight black trousers and a blazer or a dress. For men, chinos or trousers and a shirt are worn.”
Trainers? Must be a British flight attendant. The same flight attendant also mentions you should dress like you travel often:
“Smart but understated. You should look like you travel often…it helps; someone who is potentially due to get an upgrade can be knocked back if they aren’t dressed suitably.”
A decade ago I would have said this is poor advice, but it doesn’t hurt to dress nicely because all else equal, it could help if you were in the right place at the right time.
In 2020, however, I do not see any relevance for this advice. Call it a poor reflection on society, but people are increasingly dressing down when they fly. And I don’t even mean that in a pejorative sense, because wearing leggings or workout gear or dungarees and a t-shirt no longer even invites a second look.
How To Score A “Free” Upgrade
Nothing in life is free. If you want a “free” upgrade, you need to fly one airline often, earn elite status, and hope for a space-available upgrade. Airlines do not hand out upgrades like Halloween candy to passengers in the best costume. That’s simply not how it works.
Most airlines (and all U.S. airlines) have specific protocols in place for processing upgrades on a standard basis and when flights are oversold. The cost of premium seats has come down greatly over the years and an upgrade to first class may be much cheaper than you think. Airlines have also made it easier than ever before to upgrade online, using a mobile app, or during check-in.
For those extremely rare “operational” first class upgrades, the most important factor will be your seat assignment and whether a gate agent needs it for someone else, potentially a separated family or a group traveling together. It is in those rare instances that you may receive an upgrade and it won’t be for your wardrobe choice.
But I will leave you with this advice. One of the few points in my life in which I did receive a free upgrade was because I asked to pay for one. I was traveling on Emirates from Melbourne to Auckland and and inquired during check-in about the cost to upgrade to business class. Rather than charge me (which most airlines will do), the agent simply moved me up to business class, later remarking the flight was oversold in the back.
That was in 2009. I’ve tried that “trick” many times over the years and it has never worked again.
CONCLUSION
First class upgrades are not a byproduct of dressing nicely. Rather, they are the product of frequent flying and not handed out for free except in the rarest of circumstances. And in those rare circumstances, upgrades will be based upon frequent flyer status first, then the specific seating needs of the airline. Wearing nice clothes is nice…but not helpful in your quest for a first class upgrade.
> Read More:An Upgrade To Business Class On Emirates…Just For Asking
image: Cathay Pacific
The advice is coming from an airline employee. The flight attendant experience is most likely from non-rev travel. When non-rev’ing (employee discounted travel) upgrades are more likely to be based on your dress.
That is not the case at all. Non-revs have a dress code all must follow, but upgrades are processed purely based upon seniority at most airlines and based upon check-in time at others.
I’ve seen men in suits who couldn’t get cleared off the standby list while the other gate agent processes an upgrade for a guy in a hawaiian shirt, flip flops, and a straw hat.
But travel magazines will continue to write this same article over and over again for some reason…
The picture is Cathay Pacific J not F! 🙂
I know. I’m speaking in general terms of upgrades to premium cabins.
I must admit that when I saw the headline I thought that you were writing about your views on appropriate dress in first class. I figured that would generate a fair bit of controversy- which you enjoy from time to time – but would make for some interesting comments.
We can discuss that if you wish. I don’t mind dressing up, but don’t do it much any longer. I don’t judge passengers based upon dress any longer. I can’t remember when I last wore a suit on a plane. I believe it was two years ago when I changed into one before landing on Hong Kong Airlines from HKG-LAX.
Every time I needed to fly in a suit (which was way too often pre-COVID) I would actually change clothes first to get more comfortable. Flying red-eyes in a suit is not the best thing
Yeah, I have to say it’s not even a comfort issue as much as a I don’t want to wrinkle my suit issue. Now, even when I am just flying to court for a day. I bring my suit and change into it in the airport after arrival.
It was less of an inclination to discuss it than getting the popcorn ready.
As to dress itself, barring extremes I’m pretty indifferent. There are exceptions though. Late last year my wife and I were sitting in the JAL lounge in HND when my wife nudged me to see a homeless stoner hippie type wandering the lounge. The guy looked like he had personally experienced the second Hangover movie daily for for a month. Anyway, he asked about the showers and wandered off. When we got on our flight to Chicago, lo and behold! The same guy was in first class. To make things more interesting, I think he was either a blogger or an influencer because he not only monopolized the crew but personally held on to the whole bottle of mega fancy 21 year old Japanese whiskey to drink for hours and take many, many pictures of the bottle. While I felt that his shenanigans were tasteless, he could have at least tried to avoid looking like Hunter Thompson on a bad day. Then again for me the lesson was that you shouldn’t judge a stoner hippie by his cover.
You know maybe we are thinking of this all backward. Sure the article is crap but what if airlines required people to dress nice and act nice in order to qualify for an upgrade. Well, maybe at least a breathalizer test 🙂
I don’t care what other people wear. But I like wearing a blazer on long haul trips so I have lots of pockets for my small electronics, papers and other stuff.
Couldn’t agree more Matthew and applies 100% for international travel. Attire means nothing for class upgrades.
It’s funny, I think initially people think they need to dress up for international first/business – that’s what I did when I started flying it regularly. However, I quickly realized this wasn’t practical at all. I also started looking around the cabin and found many of the most experience flyers had smartened up to wear something comfortable on their 8+ hour flight and then change to business attire before landing or following a shower at the arrivals lounge. That way, your business clothes still look/smell fresh and you don’t run the risk of getting food/drink on them in flight (I learned this the hard way 2 hrs into a 14 hr flight from IAH to NRT when a FA mistakenly dumped my meal in my lap!).
Matt, although I may disagree with your overall conclusion, I must state that I too had the exact same experience years back decked out in a full 3 piece suit on a BA Concorde LHR JFK year’s back. Total embarrassment for all. I then modified my flight attire to a respectable sport jacket, neutral colored shirt, & matching trousers, along with comfortable slip on shoes with my business suit in a hangup bag. Flight crews from the Captain on down notate the attire & demeanor of passengers. Especially repeated flyers. Even on domestic ‘cattle car’ legs.
Back in the late 90’s, a former girlfriend who was an attorney flew from LAX to Chicago for a court appearance. She was seated by the window with the mother next to her and the child in aisle. The child had greasy hands and was constantly trying to reach over the mother to grab at my girlfriend’s immaculate outfit only to be grabbed, at the last minute, by the mother. The kid never touched her but she was an emotional wreck by landing.
Mr. Klint, while I agree with article’s lead buried in your piece that upgrades are unfortunately a very formalized process these days as loyalty programs have been monetized and not due to one’s attire, there is another reason to dress up when flying. That is respect to the hard working flight crews.
I grew up in a home where my Aunt Carole was a PanAm flight attendant, later moving to TWA, then to NWA retiring before the Delta merger. Carole always told us that the flight crews always appreciate passengers who dress up and are polite.
Having had a passport since the age of five gaining repeated million mile status on numerous carriers & now retired watching my multiple status being increasingly devalued, I cannot count the number of times where the flight crew has upgraded me simply by dressing up, respectful and being polite.
In 2018 flying from LHR to ATL near Thanksgiving on business I gave up my upper class seat to a soldier traveling home for the holidays. Upon arrival I was met by the gate agent who informed me that 10 system wide upgrades were deposited into my account. Flying is a privilege and not a right. The flight crews are not the passengers servants.
Respectfully deposited $0.02
lol ok greg very cool. everything you said is, of course, rubbish, but thx anyway
This is clearly a British perspective, and, as I understand it, OP-UPs historically were somewhat common on BA/VS, particularly from economy to premium econ. I have heard that check-in agents did at one time make remarks in records if they deemed a passenger “suitable for upgrade”. This history, howevr archaic, continues to fuel these idiotic “how to get upgraded” articles in the medai (actual Fake News!)
As you point out, with the introduction of paid upgrades at departure, alliance-wide elite recognition, higher loads in premium cabins, etc., the “lucky upgrade” for the well-dressed average traveler is as elusive as a fraudulent ballot.
I always dress nicely when flying. Slacks, a shirt, etc. Never ‘trainers’. I figure that this is their office and I would appreciate the courtesy should they ever visit mine.
But then I’m pretty damn old so that may have some influence on it.
The greatest style is confidence. Period.
With that said, I do wear a suit often to fly. Because it makes packing easier and is logistically practical. A black suit paired with black tee for a flight, with white and black shirts packed in a small carry on for meetings, makes for the perfect travel uniform. Invest in it, spend more than you ever have on a suit, and it will become the best purchase you ever made.
As a former airline employee, I can assure you that my airline and every other one, made it mandatory for staff to “dress up” when travelling sub-load (non-rev). In the airline’s view, you were representing the airline when travelling, even though you were on holidays. I had to wear a suit even though I was subloading from LAX-HNL and every passenger on the flight was dressed in summer apparel. So Matthew is correct. If you weren’t dressed up, you didn’t fly….
As a travel agent 30 years ago, jacket and tie were required for first-class upgrade standby….across the board, dress standards have drastically changed…(oh, and so has service, catering and the paying clientele…)
Gosh, I remember when I was traveling back & forth to HNL during college, the flight attendants wore their regular uniforms and changed to muu-muus before landing in Hawaii. Mostly NW,PA, and UA. It was great!
Agree entirely. A funny story, I went to LA (from the DC area) with a group of friends about 10 years ago. One of them was an older (in her 50s) neighbor. I booked us on the same PNR on the return. I was a 1K on UA and about 22 or 23. Anyway, we both get bumped up to first and the FAs barely spoke to me (I was in gym shorts and a t shirt), the FAs were doting over my older neighbor, and even asked if she treated me to first. The neighbor is a character. It was all a good laugh, as the upgrade came through the UA’s automated system, due to my 1K status and not my older neighbor’s dress/presence. Maybe I should dress better when traveling….
You do realize that the purpose of the article (the B roll video was hilarious showing posh women drinking champagne in a private jet) was to get readers, presumably women to buy suitable clothes shown in order to earn affiliate commissions.
It’s almost as bad as that Business Insider article with someone claiming you can get that hidden award or upgrade by yelling “revenue management” on the phone when booking.
I’ve never asked for an upgrade but have received them plenty of times, most commonly on Cathay, Emirates, Qatar ( and usually on the second leg of a journey, eg MEL-HKG-CDG or CAI-DOH-BKK), and QANTAS, not least because they thought I was someone else, ie the same name, or at least I assume so. Unfortunately he died and the upgrade frequency dropped dramatically. Perhaps their systems had gotten better with computerised records and FFP numbers.
A few times I’ve paid for ‘on the day’ upgrades, usually if I’m carrying something important to me and want the better bin space.
The clothes thing is rubbish…
Airlines should bring in a dress code. I would rather sit next to someone dressed nicely than a slob in flip flops and a sleeveless Tee shirt.
cool cool, i bet the airlines will get right on that since Clive wants it. that is very important, thank you
I have to say , in part , I agree, that’s there is little to no chances of getting an upgrade based on what you wear , or else the elites would cause a riot. BUT where I disagree is , should we be saying it’s ok to dress like your at home when flying ? People complain how airlines treat them all the time , well , if you look like a slob then maybe youll be treated like one. I don’t think people should have to dress up like in days past , BUT at minimal, NO WORKOUT CLOTHES ! Just my opinion
Here we go….the ‘entitled’, ‘life is not fair’, and ‘everyone gets a trophy!’ generation.