How to improve your chances of getting an upgrade on a flight

It’s worth a shot.

We all dream of it every time we step onto a plane, but flying in first class or even business class is normally a privilege enjoyed only by a lucky minority who can afford to do so. We’ve all heard stories of friends or friends of friends who have been bumped up to a superior seating area by sheer chance or because they have lied about informed airline staff that they’re celebrating a special occasion, but apparently there’s an easier way to do it. Writing for Cosmopolitan recently, journalist Caitriona Harvey-Jenner relayed her experience of a recent trip on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to San Jose, when she cornered the flight attendants to see how one would go about getting an upgrade. As a result, she’s never likely to pre-book a seat with an airline again. “If you've already set yourself up with a seat, you're sorted in the airline's eyes,” Harvey-Jenner writes. “But if you're still potentially floating anywhere around the plane, then there's at least a glimmer of hope that they could find you an extra-comfy space in, say, business class.” It’s hardly a sure-fire method of securing a seat in first-class, but every little helps, right? Have you ever managed to bag an upgrade on a flight? How did you do it? Please share your wisdom! Email us: Hello@JOE.co.uk, or message us on Facebook.