Airline Upgrades: Myth, Method or Magic?

The internet is full of advice in response to the question: “How do I get an airline upgrade?” 

Much of the advice is honestly not very useful. You probably won’t get an upgrade due to dressing smartly, checking in early or being nice to ground staff.

Airline revenue management is highly sophisticated and algorithm-driven. The one key piece of advice the pundits agree on is that holding high status with the operating airline offers the best chance of securing a rare, random upgrade. 

But sometimes the upgrade gods do still smile on travellers. I have been fortunate to have had several unexpected surprises, as you’ll read later. 

Types of upgrades

So, how can you get an upgrade? As a starting point, it’s worth looking at the different types.

We can sort airline upgrades into three broad categories: paid upgrades, points upgrades and “operational upgrades”. 

Upgrade with cash

Many airlines, including Qantas and Virgin Australia, offer passengers the chance to bid for an upgrade online. The airlines set a minimum amount you can offer. You can also choose to bid a higher amount to improve your chances of an upgrade. 

The minimum bid is a dynamic amount based on the route, date and time of your flight. I’ve seen Sydney – Melbourne minimum bids on Virgin Australia for $55 on some flights and well over $100 on others. By comparison, the opening bid on an upcoming Qantas booking I have from Sydney to Melbourne is $220. 

If a seat is available in a higher cabin class on your flight, you’ll usually be notified and charged roughly 24 hours prior to your flight.

If your bid is unsuccessful, you’ll fly in the cabin you originally booked. Of course, you won’t be charged for the upgrade. So, there’s nothing to lose by placing a bid if the price seems reasonable to you!

I have had fairly good success bidding for upgrades with Virgin Australia on domestic flights. My strategy is usually to bid $10 – $15 above the minimum amount. This strategy has secured me a Business Class seat at least half the times I’ve tried. On Qantas I lean more towards points upgrades due to the higher cash asking price.

While it’s uncommon in Australia, some overseas airlines might try to upsell upgrades at check-in or even on board. On an Emirates flight I took a couple of years ago in “Game Changer” First Class, two empty suites filled up as we began to taxi.

Upgrade with points

Upgrades represent one of the best value ways to redeem your points.

Most readers are probably familiar with Qantas Classic Upgrade Rewards and Virgin Australia’s UpgradeMe Points redemption options.

The airlines publish tables and calculators to show how many points it costs to request an upgrade on your upcoming flight. These amounts are based on flight distance, the fare you bought and the cabin you’re upgrading into.

Points will only be deducted at the time your upgrade is granted. Occasionally, that will be instant when there are unsold seats in that fare category. More commonly, when there are more upgrade requests than there are seats available on your flight, higher status with the airline will improve your chances of snagging an upgrade.

Operational Upgrades

Finally there’s every traveller’s dream: operational upgrades, or “op-ups”. These unicorn upgrades are rare, free and unexpected. They are the kind of upgrade many people are asking about when they google “how do I get an airline upgrade”.

The most likely situation for airlines to offer operational upgrades is when they’ve oversold the lower class cabin, yet there are unoccupied seats in a premium cabin. 

As with points upgrades, elite status will enhance your chances of an op-up. Airlines are more likely to reward a regular, loyal customer than a random infrequent flyer. Holding high status from a partner airline in the same alliance may also help your chances.

Intuitively, I suspect solo travellers stand a better chance of an op-up than couples, families or groups. Moving a couple adds extra complication to the airline close to departure to find them seats together.

Upgrades do happen: Here’s some evidence

In the last 12 months there have been reports of Qantas offering unexpected upgrades to Platinum and Platinum One members, seemingly as a goodwill gesture.

AFF also has a dedicated op-up thread with some great examples of members’ good fortune across multiple airlines. Cathay Pacific gets a few mentions in particular.

I’ve been pretty fortunate myself over the years. I’d say I’ve had around 10 unexpected upgrades in the last 30 years of flying.

My most recent op-up was during an epic Oneworld round-the-world redemption. I’d booked Club World (Business) on a British Airways leg from London to Dubai. As I scanned my boarding pass at the gate, the machine beeped and I went to the customer service desk. The agent ripped up my boarding pass and replaced it with one for a seat in First Class.

This upgrade was quite surprising as I’d booked this flight with Qantas Points, not cash. I hadn’t flown British Airways since I was a kid and at the time held Qantas Gold (OneWorld Sapphire) status. I was surprised that there were no other passengers in Club World on that flight with higher BA status, or passengers with equivalent status who had paid cash to fly Club World!

A few years ago Cathay Pacific upgraded me from Premium Economy to Business Class on a flight from Hong Kong to Sydney. I’d just come off a First Class award flight from New York. My boarding pass beeped at the gate as I boarded the connecting flight and I was handed a Business Class boarding pass instead of my Premium Economy one.

My most random random upgrade was on the former DragonAir in the early 2000s. I was flying from Hong Kong to Tokyo with a companion on a cheap Economy Class ticket. At check-in, the agent apologised that our pre-assigned seats weren’t available and asked politely if would we mind changing to row 1. We skipped Business Class entirely and ended up in First!

I’ve also had good fortune on Japan Airlines and Jet Airways.

Sometimes the upgrade gods just choose to smile and sprinkle a little magic.