yes, I was upgraded to biz class on airtran without even offering a tip. I asked the gate agent how much to upgrade, and whether I could based on my fare. I think I had a discount fare, and you could upgrade to biz from a full price fare for $25. She upgraded me and never asked for anything. I didn't tip her either. This is not relevant to the OP, but is relevant to people who say its impossible for the FA or GA to do this. I'm sure there are FA's who would upgrade you for a discrete $50 if they thought the chances of getting caught were low, and this is probably even more likely in other countries. But note tipping and being allowed to sit up front is very different from having a guaranteed upgrade wtih meal, etc. The main difference is once the plane pulls away, the airline has lost the revenue opportunity.

I was offered an upgrade on ORD-LHR last month for a mere $6,300! :D

Was that the price they gave you at the check-in agent? or the gate agent? prior to take off.

I've tried this to no avail.

M8

We were upgraded from tourist to biz on BA returning from London, but the plane was oversold.

What I can't get over is seeing and hearing an FA take someone they know or who knows somebody in their family or something from tourist to biz or first after the plane takes off. I understand it. After all, it's the kind of thing we experience in this world all the time. My problem is I don't know anybody to get that kind of gift when I'm flying!

And yet I've heard stories about a husband and wife separated due to different tickets and one is in biz or first while the other is back with the great unwashed. The FAs wouldn't let them visit or sit together even for a few minutes! How rediculous!

It's not ridiculous. People try this as a cheap way of getting both of them into business or first class, hoping that the person on the cheap ticket will get a free upgrade. The only weapon the airlines have against these cheapskates is to maintain cabin discipline. Otherwise "a few minutes" turns into half an hour, and then into "have you got an extra meal", etc. etc.

A number of friends of mine have done just this on Aeroflot's New York to Moscow service the last 10 years. Most recently was in 2003. $100 along with your boarding pass to the FA as you enter and he/she will show you to your seat. The price might have gone up now but it has been done and done often on that route particularly.

We have a friend that worked for Continental at the gate
she was fired for simply upgrading friends and family one time !! I don't think anyone would risk that for a few measly bux.Things are tighter now with explanations needed for the bean counters when these kind of goodwill gestures are performed
9-11 changes the empowerment and the generosity of years past
off topic
I have been bumped to first free a number of times as an elite when coach is full

So, how do these beancounters know?? do the other FAs tell on them??

They monitor everything today.Everything has to be substantiated
I was very surprised she wan't given another chance as this was as I understood it her first offense

Of course they can "visit" with each other...in coach! :p

I always say "It's free to ask." That is usually in reference to op-ups, but why not to bribes as well. You aren't stealing, they are. You are pulling out cash and asking for a better seat. No telling what they are typing into the computer, but if they accept, you are paying what they told you the upgrade cost. If they keep the money, it's stealing, but it's them stealing from their employer, not you from the airline. I see no problem with it, and if I were smooth enough, I'd try this as well.

The upgrade has to be processed, and someone likely saw the non-elite upgrades on a flight that wasn't oversold and started asking questions.

Processed? If you bribed them wouldn't they just tell a FA to set you sit in 1st or Biz? or would they get in big trouble for not processing it?

Also, if they are about to take off and the seats are empty, why would they get in trouble? if they know those sits will remain empty, regardless, wouldn't it not be a big deal to upgrade some folks complimentary RE: Airline Goodwill?

Ethical gymnastics. :rolleyes:

Yeah. If you buy a car stereo with minor crowbar damage from some guy selling out of his trunk, you could make the same argument.

As for the gate telling the F/A to seat the pax in F, the F/A is going to want in on the action too, or will just report the agent. If you're going to bribe the F/A, you might as well do it directly.

As for why they don't fill up 1st, this has been long argued around here. The con argument is that if they make it too easy to get into F for cheap or free, people won't pay for F and will just take their chances on getting upgraded.

If I paid $1000+ for my F seat or earned my upgrade with 50,000+ BIS miles and then I see some guy upgraded for free, there's not going to be a lot of goodwill on my part towards the airline. If someone gets a last second upgrade legitimately, there is always some paper shuffling and the GA either comes on board or passes a new boarding pass to the FA, who escorts the passenger up front, so it would be pretty obvious if someone were getting the undocumented upgrade. And the FA would probably be fired.

I think its pretty likely that one could bribe their way up front on a non-US carrier though.

Why not go in to a restaurant and sit down at an empty table and ask them to bring you dinner for free since the table is empty and the food will go bad anyways?

Bad news for you ;)
I have seen attractive folks flirt male and female and get it without a bribe
Just by being hot and friendly.For that matter I have seen Honeymooners bumped up, airline employees,and a number of other kinda sorta not so worthy folks with less then great reasons get to the front cabin.
On award ,buddy passes and consodlidator tickets.
I have even seen folks who were lower on the waiting list bump me off the list with lower elite preference over some unusual technicality.Like there were two seats and I was single so they gave it to the couple together :(
Once a waitlist gets in the hands of humans anything can happen.
While it is harder for the above to happen these days .It still can and does

I don't sweat it anymore if you are well connected good at flirting and charming more power to you.I take care of my own business and don't mind the creative or gifted.As long as they don't mess me up to bad ;)
It is not always a fair world :(
Have no complaints thanks to our bright community and its sharing of information.
I have traveled for the most part brilliantly all over the world
And I enjoy the back of the cabin too sometimes where I sometimes meet the most interesting folks of all!

That's great to hear! It's like the new Jaguar ads, Gorgeous Trumps Everything. I'm glad I am one of the beautiful people :D

M8

Good take me with you as your ugly brother :D
Maybe they will have mercy on me ;)

Okay, you can be my wingman :D

Sure long as we get the free upgrade I'll even flap my wings :cool:

My uncle was working in Moscow for a while and he would tell stories about how the FAs would "inspect" your passport and if a bill of the right size happened to be in there, your seat would be changed to biz if space was availible. This was only on Aeroflot, not LH which he often flew. Totally different from Germany where he lives.

"the great unwashed"...... Charming! :(