Upgrading at gate or check in
 

Asking for a friend here who's torn a couple of ligaments in his ankle and is supposed to be flying in Y TLV-JFK in a few days time. He's supposed to be keeping his leg raised as much as possible so that length of time in Y probably isn't best.

Apparently speaking to his travel agent, an upgrade to C would be around $1000. What are odds of being able to upgrade at the gate, check in or some other way and what are likely to be the costs?

once you board the plane, and if there are seats available in C, you can upgrace for 700$

if he has doctor's orders to fly with his leg straight, why not contact the insurance company ?

I'm really sorry your friend was injured, and I hope he is doing better each day.

As has been stated, on-board upgrades are subject to availability, and only after check-in and boarding, so whether a seat will even be available will depend on how full C is. It's a bit of a risky proposition, depending on the flight. Is that a chance your friend can take in his condition?

Perhaps he can try bidding for an upgrade?

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. I passed it on and it was appreciated but apparently through some contacts he managed to get the VIP service and a promised upgrade or seats next to him so he can put it up on if unable to. (Why can't we have these contacts too?)