Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Upgrade to first class

Is it really possible to get first class as cheap as economy. What suggestions do you have? Specifically, we'll be flying from HOnolulu to London this November.

1. Not to my knowledge... who told you one could? :confused:

(Given that one can fly HNL-LAX-LHR vv on BA/AA in November in Coach for $1000... while First costs $11000 for the same flights (:eek:) and for completeness Business class costs $4200.... it isn't hard to work out why getting First for the cost of Coach might be... ummm.. difficult)


2. Methods that will get you "up front"?

1. buy the ticket in F, or
2. buy the ticket in J (or Y) and upgrade using miles/points/certificates

Sorry to sound unsympathetic.. but those are the only ways I've been able to guarantee premium cabin travel for.... me!!:D

Weird thought!! You may have heard talk of the "UPP" fares (YUPP, KUPP etc)... fares that cost nowhere near as much as "regular F" but get you into that cabin... Yup.. they are apparently a good deal... but AFAIK are limited to US domestic flights... NOT available on International?????

That could explain your question! ^

Is it really possible to get first class as cheap as economy. What suggestions do you have? Specifically, we'll be flying from HOnolulu to London this November.

Yes you can get first class (or international business class) for economy prices...provided you are a frequent flyer with an airline program and attain status with that airline, accumulate a copious amount of miles with that program, or both.

Trying to upgrade a single flight without miles or status - be willing to pay.

1. Not to my knowledge... who told you one could? :confused:

(Given that one can fly HNL-LAX-LHR vv on BA/AA in November in Coach for $1000... while First costs $11000 for the same flights (:eek:) and for completeness Business class costs $4200.... it isn't hard to work out why getting First for the cost of Coach might be... ummm.. difficult)


2. Methods that will get you "up front"?

1. buy the ticket in F, or
2. buy the ticket in J (or Y) and upgrade using miles/points/certificates

Sorry to sound unsympathetic.. but those are the only ways I've been able to guarantee premium cabin travel for.... me!!:D

Weird thought!! You may have heard talk of the "UPP" fares (YUPP, KUPP etc)... fares that cost nowhere near as much as "regular F" but get you into that cabin... Yup.. they are apparently a good deal... but AFAIK are limited to US domestic flights... NOT available on International?????

That could explain your question! ^
Thanks!
I saw an advert with FirstClassFlyer that claims they know how to upgrade to First class, or at least get First Class paying the same as Economy. Of course, I'm somewhat curious/suspicious of such claims, and thought I'd ask this forum.

We're thinking of going in November. Would we (2 passengers) be better booking now, or in October for that trip? Any thoughts?

Any thoughts?

If it sounds too good to be true.....

Thanks!
I saw an advert with FirstClassFlyer that claims they know how to upgrade to First class, or at least get First Class paying the same as Economy. Of course, I'm somewhat curious/suspicious of such claims, and thought I'd ask this forum.

We're thinking of going in November. Would we (2 passengers) be better booking now, or in October for that trip? Any thoughts?


that firstclassflyer is a serious scam....read the reviews online about ppl like yourself who actuallly went ahead and tried it.....you will find that the same information they give you, is readily available online (mostly here if you ask me)

Is it really possible to get first class as cheap as economy. What suggestions do you have? Specifically, we'll be flying from HOnolulu to London this November.

The only way you are going to fly first class for the price of coach is if you have elite status on an airline and/or a ton of frequent flyer miles to burn.

Barring the extremely rare operational upgrade: There are no secrets and there are no shortcuts.

Go to the Credit Card Programs/Partners forum. There are ways to accumulate enough FF miles to fly FC if you're willing to scrounge around. Good luck.

You can (sometimes) get reduced premium-cabin fares from consolidators. The reduction might not be F class for Y price, but real savings are possible.

References should be checked carefully, as there are scammers mixed in with the legit companies. And, whether or not you get FF miles depends on the specific arrangement.

Airline rules should also be checked before heading down this road. While some airlines allow upgrades from any fares others (Delta for example) require you to have bought the higher priced coach fares to even be eligible for the upgrades with miles!

if i can fly first class for economy prices.....why do they even bother selling first class fares?!

:)

as stated earlier....if it sounds too good to be true....

1. Not to my knowledge... who told you one could? :confused:


The ads FT pushes give that impression.

The ads actually aren't directly from Flyertalk.com

I think what happens is that Flyertalk.com signs a contract with someone like Google who sells ads to folks. The ads are then "populated" into places where the topics match. So we get TA, First Class upgrade etc. Other boards on weight loss for example, get "Alli" and "lose 100 lbs and eat what you want" There's no vetting of the ad by the board owners.

Can first class cost the same as coach -- sometimes. Often full coach domestic fares exceed discounted first class fares but full coach is an expensive ticket. The same can be true on international flights, especially when there are discounted business class tickets available. But who buys full coach other than business travelers needing fully refundable fares and even then there are often alternatives.

Your flight is a long one and business class or first class would be an enjoyable perk. Save you miles and try for a ticket or upgrade. Several times we have gotten values for our miles of 6 to 10 cents each using them that way.

A friend when flying configurations with three seats buys all three for her husband and herself. Her cost to China was $3,900 vs $12,000 for two businss class seats. Both are under 5'10" and with the help of a sleeping pill they slept and were almost as comfortable as if they had flown business class. The savings paid for their vacation.

a full fare economy can actually be priced as high as a business/first heavily restricted fare so in a way they arent wrong, they are just assuming that you will be paying top whack for a fuill fare economy