‘A First Class Upgrade Every Time’? C’mon!

“How to Get a First Class Upgrade Every Time”

So trumpets the headline of a Bloomberg article published this morning. An upgrade every time. That’s a promise guaranteed to perk the interest of a wide range of travelers, from business flyers, who actually stand a chance of being upgraded, to armchair travelers, whose only experience of first class is being herded through it on their way to the coach cabin.

Having read the article, I can confirm what I already knew: Ignore the headline—it’s clickbait. There is no way to get a first-class upgrade every time.

As the article rightly points out, elite upgrades, which were never guaranteed, have become ever scarcer, as airlines increasingly treat their first-class seats as potential sources of revenue rather than as perks reserved for their most loyal customers. Better to sell a first-class seat for a hefty discount than to fail to monetize it at all.

So, fewer first-class seats available. Then there are the myriad hoops would-be upgraders have to jump through in order to snag one of those few seats. In Delta’s case, for example, the first cut is based on elite status. Higher-level status obviously trumps lower-level status. Next is fare basis. Those traveling on higher-priced non-refundable tickets get higher upgrade priority than those flying on discounted tickets. After that, preference is given to customers holding the pricey Delta Reserve credit card. Next: travelers affiliated with Delta’s corporate travel program. Then, holders of co-branded credit cards who have spent $25,000 or more. And finally, if all the foregoing were equal, the upgrade goes to the lucky traveler who requested it first.

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With so many variables in play, the very idea of a guaranteed elite upgrade is ludicrous. Nobody gets a first-class upgrade every time.

The only way to avoid the uncertainty of the elite upgrade scrum is to purchase a first-class ticket, either with cash or miles or both. One way or another, it’s going to cost you.

Reader Reality Check

What’s your success rate at scoring elite upgrades?

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After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.

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