It depends on where you are flying to/from. If you are flying out of an airlines hub, where they have a large market share, you'll probably encounter a long waiting list of FF Elite members ahead of you looking for standby upgrades. On Continental, for example, they begin upgrading people a few days before the flight depending on FF status.<BR><BR>

Fly on your birthday. I flew to San Diego on American for my 21st birthday. I showed my picture id and the agent smiled at me (it was 10am or so) and said "Why don't you sit up front and have your first drink." I couldn't believe it. The plane was fairly empty...there was only one other couple in all of first class, so who knows why I got upgraded. I am a FF member, but only fly 20,000 or so miles are year. <BR><BR>

To whom it may concern:<BR>When I get sick in the Tourbus, do I get<BR>a limo for the same price? This is what<BR>you asked the Airline to do. The Airline needs to make money to pay there employees. In what business are you in.

If you fly Air France from Dulles to Paris, one of the daily flights (028 or 029) is a new Atrbus with big seats in coach. I'm old and decrepit, yet arrived in Paris pain-free and rested, (more or less. We fly this route regularly and I have well over a million oassenger miles (lifetime of course!) to my credit. No airline is perfect but I tend to agree with one of the other correspondents - going international you should fly the appropriate foreign carrier. Yet thefinest flight I ever had was New York to Saudi Arabia on PanAm/Saudia. <BR>Good luck, Bob

<BR>Okay here is how it works (I work for an airline)<BR><BR>Upgrades are generally given out more often during peak flights eg school vacations when there are very few businessmen on the flight so airlines overbook coach and upgrade ten to twenty people. So to improve your chances travel during these periods.<BR><BR>If a flight is not full in coach generally no upgrades will happen as airlines have to load extra meals which is a hassle at the last minute and costs money, which we dont have much of at the moment.<BR><BR>who gets upgraded. autmatically top tier members of a frequent flyer programme (they dont even have to ask). Then next level down.<BR><BR>After that if there are still a few seats left, the rule is honeymooners, elderly couples who are well dressed and less likely to be 'indiscrete' telling everyone they go this for nothing when people have paid.<BR><BR>But more importantly people who don't get an upgrade are people who are likely to shout about it onboard (they also tend to be the ones demanding it at check-in)<BR><BR>Anyone not well dressed, or sober.stay out of the bar before check-in.<BR><BR>But overall ask politely, once, and you may be surprised, make a fuss and you have no chance.<BR><BR>Good luck....incidently to prove the above, I once saw 35 upgrades on a flight to Miami from coach during school holidays from Europe so it does happen

Like many things in the world today, there is a website devoted to this subject:<BR><BR>www.firstclassflyer.com<BR><BR>Goo d luck!

Getting a free upgrade is always different depending on the gate agent. I fly from Winnipeg to Toronto on Air Canada a few times a year to visit family and I'm only 15 and the gate agent liked me and put me in Executive Class a couple of times. the important thing is to look good and to be quiet. if they think you'll brag about it you probably won't get it (my brother!).

Mike, thanks for that addition. With your insight at your age, I predict you will have many flights in first class in the years ahead!

Would anyone like to comment on how unlikely it is that a 30 something woman with a baby would get upgraded...<BR>Should I even bother asking..or will I be ha ha'd and shoo'd away?

How like to be upgraded to first class with a baby??? Not very likely but if the baby is a cutie, ya never know!