These days, flying economy is a lesson in lowered standards. If your norm is the fetal position in seat 22B -- praying the person in front of you takes his hand off the recline lever -- it's easy to lust over scoring the elusive, get-out-of-jail-free upgrade. Travel perks, though, are harder than ever to come by.
So what can an ordinary traveler do to improve their upgrade forecast? The first thing to do is to think of your travel experience holistically. Airline upgrades may be the most popular bonus, but your chances of getting a hotel or car rental promotion are much greater. Taking the road (or flight) less traveled will also go a long way in your quest for a free upgrade. "Basically, whenever the business guys aren't flying is a good time for everyone else," says Bestfares.com founder, Tom Parsons.
Executive Travel has more strategies for scoring travel upgrades.
This article was written by Caitlin Drexler
So what can an ordinary traveler do to improve their upgrade forecast? The first thing to do is to think of your travel experience holistically. Airline upgrades may be the most popular bonus, but your chances of getting a hotel or car rental promotion are much greater. Taking the road (or flight) less traveled will also go a long way in your quest for a free upgrade. "Basically, whenever the business guys aren't flying is a good time for everyone else," says Bestfares.com founder, Tom Parsons.
Executive Travel has more strategies for scoring travel upgrades.
This article was written by Caitlin Drexler