With our legs crushed by the seat in front of us, a lack of food available and minimal services available, we all wish we opted for a better quality of airline, but surely the price is just too steep? Well there are a number of ways you can live a life of desire without breaking the bank. So read on for my tips on how to get yourself a cheaper first class flight.
Sign Up To Airline Loyalty Schemes
You should be collecting air miles for every flight you take. Many people go on multiple trips abroad each year, yet don’t sign themselves to these loyalty schemes. Beyond getting you a cheap flight abroad, they can be used to upgrade your ticket to a first class or business seat. Considering you’re taking the flight anyway, all this takes is a bit of productivity and you could see yourself in a little more comfort.
Consider Business Seats During School Holidays
The business seats work in reversal to normal economy seats, in the fact that when children are on holiday and most families are booking up the cheap seats, there are less people taking business trips. This offers a golden opportunity to get a business seat at a discounted rate. You can enquire with the airline as to which point of the year they tend to drop the cost of their tickets. Think Bank Holidays!
Get There Early
Airlines regularly have spare seats in first class and will occasionally offer this to their economy seat flyers, but it is on a first come first serve basis. Raquel was offered this when we were flying to Thailand, something I reckon she should have taken as a once in a lifetime experience! Having said that, it is 10 hours on your own. If you arrive a good few hours early, you might have time to burn, but your chances of getting a free upgrade worth a small fortune is heavily increased.
Any Friends In Good Positions?
Enquire through your friendship group or your other half’s friendship group to see if anyone is working with an airline. If you know someone that is working on the desks or in a higher position, they can often offer you a friends and family discount or sort something out for you.
Enquire With The Airline Staff
This helps if you’re located near the front of the plane, but once the cabin door has shut and before the safety belt sign has come on, simply ask a member of staff whether there are any free seats in first class. The fact of the matter is the success on this is often down to the individual staff member, so try to be nice as you get on the plane, maybe throw a joke at them when getting on.
Upgrade Auctions
These are really interesting, but you should still expect to pay quite a bit. Basically, the flight will often have some spare first class or business class seats available, therefore rather than give them away for free, they now try to auction them off. You can put in a bid (normally in the month before the flight takes place) and the highest bidder wins, but you will have no transparency to how much others have bid, so it is a bit of a guessing game.