Your travel tips: How to blag a free flight upgrade

Rex

AOL Travel user Barbara Ward, from Stoke-on-Trent, managed to receive 13 out of 14 free flight upgrades on a trip around the world with her husband.

We wanted to know what Barbara's secret was and asked her to share her tips for blagging a free flight upgrade...

'Be very pleasant when checking in and never ask for an upgrade - a smile and a greeting are a must,' she says.

'Have a frequent flyer card (even if it is your first trip and you have joined but not received the card, make sure you quote the number as you check in). We had a Star Alliance card which lots of airlines are affiliated to and have joined frequently flyer programmes for every airline that we have ever flown with.

The 67-year-old advises wearing the right clothing and shoes too. She says: 'Always dress smartly. Jackets are a must for men and leather shoes - never trainers or 'sand shoes' as I was once told.

'When I was being upgraded the lady on the desk actually asked to see my footwear. I was wearing well-polished leather flat shoes. Scruffy shoes are only good for those who have paid to be in First/Business class - not for anyone wanting a free upgrade.

On that trip we had 14 flights and were upgraded on all but one (either to Business or Premium economy). They were all scheduled flights, of course. It never happens on charter flights.'

Thanks for the advice Barbara! If you have any travel trips of your own that you'd like to share with us, visit our Facebook page or leave a comment below.

Browse more tips for getting a free seat in Business or First class...

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