Dear gremlin-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question.
Anyone will attest that the best way to get a free airline upgrade
(once you become aware of the fact that 1st class seats are available
on a departing flight) is to simply approach the ticket counter and
ask for one. Well, actually there is a strategy.
When you first get there appear as calm and knowledgeable about air
travel as possible. You want to give the impression that you are
worldly and businesslike. Airline personnel are not unlike any other
professional, they like to be the focus of important peoples’
attention. Size up the situation and find a target that will be
receptive to your request. Look for a fresh, composed person who is
not agitated by a customer or overwhelmed by his/her responsibilities.
Try and find one who appears to have the authority to grant what you
are asking and approach him/her once they are alone. Take them aside
and simply ask humbly, “Do you think there’s any way possible that you
could help me out on an upgrade since no one else seems to be sitting
in those first class seats anyway”. If they hesitate for a moment,
quickly offering something cute to an attendant of the opposite sex,
such as “C’mon. I’m a nice guy/girl” might even help ease some
tension. Don’t be aggressive about it though. If you are pushy you
will raise suspicions in today’s airports and you won’t get anything
but glares and stares from the nervous staff.
It also helps to watch a while before giving this line a try. Watch
the first class passengers and try to emulate their confidence and
behavior. Look the part. As with most things, first impressions are
everything. If you have set your sights on a person of the same gender
as yourself, perhaps you can establish some rapport with them before
asking for the favor. A little friendly or funny chit chat to pass the
time, while practicing your best world traveler posture can sometimes
go a long way toward getting what you want. Have a good attitude about
your situation and show some interest in the check-in person’s job.
Tell them what a great job they are doing and how much you appreciate
their kindess, and then drop the load on them. Convince them you are a
decent person and that you deserve this one favor. Don’t hesitate to
put on puppy eyes and ask “pretty please?”. Beyond winning the
gratitude of some sympathetic check-in person, your hopes of getting a
free first class upgrade under the table are virtually nil.
As for the discount for late planes or other delays there are
currently no U.S. federal regulations that require any compensation
for a delayed or cancelled flight if that cancellation is due to
circumstances beyond the airline's control. Weather delays, the
primary reason for cancellations and delays, fall into this particular
category. On the other hand, each airlines, though not necessarily
“required” to give compensation, often has policies that provide for
it in the event of overbooking, mechanical problems, strike, staffing
issues, etc. You can usually find a copy of these policies in the
paperwork associated with your ticket, and if not, you can often
request it at the airline ticket counter. Some companies offer
compensation for delayed flights, for example, that may range from
meals to hotel accommodations, but rarely cash. If this happens to
you, you should ask the counter attendant what compensation you are
permitted to request under “Rule 240”, but again, I stress that the
operative word here is “request”. (“Rule 240 by the way is the policy
that determines what, if any, compensation you are entitled to
request. Just mentioning this – politely - to them alone can sometime
get results because they instantly become aware that you are just
another mindless traveler who can be toyed with).
An airline basically agrees to transport you from one airport to
another and that’s it. Believe it or not, it has no legal obligation
to fly you at the times, or even on the day, printed on the ticket. It
is not obliged to provide food, drink or overnight accommodation while
you wait, however long the delay. Some airlines do so though as a
means of protecting their reputation, but beyond that, whatever you
get from them is primarily based on their generosity and on their
terms.
I hope you find that that my research exceeds your expectations. If
you have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for using Google Answers.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
INFORMATION SOURCES
GET A FREE AIRLINE UPGRADE
http://ncnc.essortment.com/freeairlineupg_rasy.htm
AIRLINE RULE 240
http://www.mytravelrights.com/travellaw.cfm?ai=3
LEEDS BRADFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
“Advice for Travellers - if things go wrong”
http://www.lbia.co.uk/flight_info/advice3.shtml
AIRSAFE
“Compensation for Flight Delays and Overbookings”
http://www.airsafe.com/complain/bumping.htm
AIRSAFE
“How to Complain About Your Airline Service”
http://www.airsafe.com/complain/complain.htm
FREE TRAVEL TRIPS.com
“What type of compensation will I receive if my flight is delayed or
cancelled?”
http://www.freetraveltips.com/Airlines/Air17.htm
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
Get free airline upgrade
Airline cancellation compensation
Airline delay compensation
Airline “Rule 240” |
Clarification of Answer by
tutuzdad-ga
on
25 Dec 2002 17:44 PST
Dear gremlin-ga;
I wholeheartedly disagree (which was why I answered the question even
“after” the comments were posted). As I indicated, obtaining this type
of upgrade is not the easiest thing to achieve, but then again, it is
not impossible either. The confidence that you must project when
asking for the extension of such a gracious gesture virtually mandates
that you NEVER give up. You will not be so lucky every time; perhaps
not even 25% of the time, but persistence is the key to getting what
you want in any part of society. You will hone your skills and learn
what works and what does not. I am not a frequent flier, but I do fly
from time to time. I’ve also been abroad and back several times in my
life and I have never failed to seek an upgrade when I saw an
opportunity to do so. Sometimes you hit pay dirt and sometimes you
strike out. I think the obvious message here is that you will never
get an upgrade if you stop asking for one. No one is going to point
you out in a crowd and say, “Excuse me, Mr. Gremlin, but you really
look like you could use an upgrade”. The down-and-dirty of it is that
you have to excel in your abilities to manipulate people in order to
get someone to give you something for free. To do this you must
practice – and occasionally fail. Failure, in itself, is not a
setback; it is only a lesson.
As you will note, JCG posted his comments about an hour before I
answered your question. After reading his comment, I knew that I could
support my position with published sources, so obviously there was no
hesitation on my part to answer. JCG, on the other hand, didn’t answer
the question himself because, perhaps, he wasn’t comfortable enough
with his own advice to do so (including supporting sources). Then
again, you must also consider that every visitor to Google Answers can
leave an opinionated comment on any question at any time, but only
pre-screened Google Answers Researchers are permitted to research
customers’ questions and answer them. Having said that, it is also
possible that JCG is not a researcher at all, but merely a visiting
commenter offering his passing thoughts for free. This alone doesn’t
necessarily detract from the value of is comment, which I’m sure was
well intentioned, but in reality, opinions pale in comparison to a
supported answer. Normally, Researchers will not answer a question if
it has been answered sufficiently by a commenter for free. But the
operative phrase here is “sufficiently answered”. I proceeded simply
because I didn’t feel like you were getting the advice you deserve.
Neither the monetary reward nor a potential tip bears any significance
on a dedicated researcher's answer. As a species, we tend to be
compulsive "seekers" of information and the real challenge lies in our
ability to answer a question correctly, completely and efficiently
whenever possible. I am confident that I have done that.
At any rate, I am certain that the free upgrade that I encourage you
to continue pursuing would likely be of much greater value to you than
a visitor’s free advice. After all, you stand to lose absolutely
nothing by asking. As long as it doesn’t pose a threat to your
integrity and doesn’t harm or deprive someone else, I encourage you to
be assertive and to get the most, whenever and wherever you can get
it. This brings to mind a great old adage that has been quoted many
different ways by many different people over the years. “If you always
do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always
gotten".
You’ve been a first class customer and I hope you have many first
class journeys in your future.
Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
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