In 1995 I signed up with American Airlines Advantage Club. I paid $50 to upgrade to first as I had a Y class ticket. It was truly like that Seinfeld episode where he's in first and Elaine is in Economy. Jerry is eating fine cuisine and eating ice-cream sundaes for desert. A stewardess checking up on them with a big smile. The only difference was I didn't get to sit next to the supermodel. In some ways it ruined my travel forever. The next time I flew I sat in Economy thinking to myself " I know what it's like up in First."

Slowly I started to figure out ways of staying out of cattle class. I can't say that I succeed every time, but my odds have improved.

The best way to upgrade is really utilizing your miles. Obviously getting miles is the first step. Air travel gets the most miles, but these days there are other ways. Using your long distance phone company like MCI is a good one, as well as hotels like Hyatt and Radisson which give you miles as well (even if you aren't footing the bill). Some hotels like the Radisson require you to set up an account which is painless. Even credit card companies are doing it.

Get your upgrade as early as possible as they only allow a certain amount of seats for people using miles. If they have already filled those seats get on the waiting list as they will give away the other seats if there aren't enough paid customers to fill the seats on travel day. Each airline have their own rules & regulations. My favorite is United as they only require 5000 miles to upgrade per segment Depending on your type of ticket, otherwise it's 10k). American are the worst as it's a minimum of 10k and if you have a super saver you can't upgrade at all. To top it off it will cost an additional $50 to buy a certificate if you aren't a member of the Advantage gold.

The other bonus is that many airlines have an alliance with other airlines which allow you to use miles from other airlines.

Some airlines allow you to pay for an upgrade by paying for zones, again this depends on your type of ticket. When I joined Continental they sent me an offer for a booklet that cost me $99. It was filled with different coupons like 6 upgrades ( which also works on America West ) and a couple of visitor passes to their president's club. There are other deals like hotel and car upgrades plus other coupons.

When all else fails there is always the simple approach of asking. I know some people who have it down to a science as far as what to say and do. The only thing I know of is to wear nice clothes, like a suit. On check- in ask what it takes to upgrade. Many times they may do it if they are in a good mood or rushed, otherwise they will tell you what it will take for miles and or a price. It helps to be cordial and understanding as they deal with a lot of assholes during their shift.

Some people feel that if you check- in at the last minute and try for an upgrade that the person may upgrade you to get rid of you and get the flight out of the gate. I'm not a big fan of that as you may get bumped. The other thing is I like to get an emergency seat as a back up if there is no upgrade available.

It's a lot easier to upgrade on national flights than an international flight. It takes twice the amount of miles and most times it requires a specific class of ticket and also cash.

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