Hello All!
I have been reading these threads for awhile, and I do realize that I am not a frequent flier in your league. However, I try to do what I can. I am going on CO, to Belize on free seats. I dread the thought of having to go coach class. Any ideas on how I might upgrade? I do not have any upgrade passes, but I do have some miles. Are there any inside tricks that might help me get that fabulous upgrade status?

Rudi, thanks very much for your tips! I find them quite helpful.

Hi,

Welcome. Everyone is welcome here from the super-platinum-elite-preferred-1K to the occasional flier. Please don't feel intimidated. As long as you are sincere, you are at the right place.

The 99.99% accurate answer to your question is "No possible way". All upgrade coupons whether complementary/paid/redeemed for mileage cannot be used on free tickets and I have never ever seen any airline bend this rule ever.

The 0.01% chance is that if you have have really high status with the airline (or extremely lucky) and the flight is full you might get upgraded. And the obvious solution if you have the miles to spare; cancel this ticket, get the miles redeposited and then get a new higher-class award ticket issued (some airlines will allow tickets to be reverted back to mileage)

Or then you can try the Rudi approach - bribe'em with fine Swiss chocolates or the (immoral/maybe illegal) approach that my father used years ago with Delta which involved bribing a (disreputable) travel agent in NYC with $100-$200 and the agent would request upgrades that were instantly confirmed. When my Dad got to the airport - their computers showed that he was in B-class and they never questioned how he got there.

if it is a half empty flight - board last - and take a businessclass-seat without asking.

Rudi, Shame on you !!!

Rudi. It's you is it? Your the one who delays take-off for 20 minutes while they re-count everyone and try to work out why they have more people in First than they should.

Then walk about confused with the PAX list squabbeling like a load of old geese.

Then work out who is the imposter, and ask them (oh so nicely) to move back to economy.

Then discover the seat they should have had in economy has now been taken by somone else as they thought the flight had boarded.

You really do have a lot to answer for!

Ahhhh, what fun.
MF

Rudi,
I just may do that. I will call CO prior to flight and see how booked it is. What is the worst that can happen? They could move me back to coach I suppose. Aah....the life of a peasant traveler! MF thanks so much for your feedback, I do sometimes feel intimidated by this thread.....I would like to fly places on business..but my job doesnt give me such benefits.
Thanks all
Beth

merry flyer: mea culpa.

I forgot to mention this time something like "I would never do it, but a (good) friend of mine .....".

one more tip to this: a good friend of mine, to better his chances to stay in business (at all, don't do it in first, do it only in business) when/just before they start counting, he (after having occupied the seat) dissappears to the (eco-) toilet and succeeds in having him counted as eco (and the overall-count, which is normally the only factor to delay the flight, because the might have to deal with "luggage without passenger" is ok anyway).

Rudi, you would have made a great politician!
MF

Rudi, habe ich einen Freund (wirklich) der immer einen Sitz im Gesch�ft sowie Wirtschaft anmeldet, und beende dann die Reservierung im Gesch�ft, kurz vor ihm
�berpr�fen-in.

Selbstverst�ndlichBIN ich stark mit solch einer Taktik anderer Meinung, die es
schwieriger f�r den Rest von uns bildet,
aber er sagt, da� er eine gute
Erfolgkinetik am Erhalten des Aufsteigens hat!
MF

Ricechex, have you posted on here before? under a different handle? Have you ever lived in New Jersey? ...just curious *s*

My wife just got upgraded to first on a free Northwest WorldPerks ticket.

I'll probably expose a loophole to any NW agents that read this but I thought you might like to hear how she did it.

All WorldPerks award tickets are e-tickets. We live in Seattle which has e-ticket check-in kiosks. Checking in at the kiosk, the boarding pass that is issued contains no remarks on being a freebie ticket. She then walks up to the counter with her upgrade certificates and gets seat 2A. Coming home, she will not be as fortunate since most citiies do not have the kiosk system.

Justin!!!

Where's Aubie??

(Or are you merely maintaining a double identity/)

Boabob...
Aubie is in the doghouse! he knocked my chicken pizza off the counter last night and ate an entire slice of pizza.

Actually, I slipped up. I was sleepy and forgot that I was using my real name.

In the US we're quite familiar with politicians who smoke but don't inhale. Now Rudi has enlarged that concept to sitting without boarding

By the way, just my opinion, but let's keep the text in English here; otherwise, it's hard to keep everyone involved. If you have a private message, just send it directly to the person for whom it was in tended.

Rudi, I was out-of-town the past few days so I didn't reply to your inquiry about LH's Star Alliance promotion, but I saw on the other board that you sorted it out already .