It’s pretty nice. The super gourmet food was wasted on me ( I prefer a simple sandwich and orange juice) but just having a bigger seat with more legroom was worth a lot.
I have travelled first class 10 or 15 times on domestic flights becuase I was automatically upgraded as a medium-level frequent flier.
But one time on a trans-Atlantic flight on KLM I noticed that there were empty seats in first class— I (mistakenly) thought that since I was an “elite” FF member I was supposed to get upgraded… turns out that was only for domestic flights, not international. But the purser was really nice-- she let me have the first-class seat anyway.
Before my mother passed away, she worked for Com-Air (What A WORLD of trouble they are in now!!!)
We were upgraded to first class everytime we flew when I was in high school. Not only was it a free airplane ride for my family and I, but we flew first class… just from asking. wonderful!
My mother constantly told me the perks of knowing people who work in the airline industry and how important it was to be nice. This came in handy on long flights on airlines such as ATA where you have to “rent” headphones in order to hear the movie… they would just give them to us for free. I’m sure it doesnt sound like a big deal, but after you read the damn “Skymall” magazine for the fifth time, those headphones become VERY tempting and it’s nice to have them for free!
Yes, the absolute best part of First Class, beyond the orgies and coke, is looking at your stranger seat-mate and spontaneously bursting out laughing in absolute delight in consideration of the sorry fate of the commoners back in coach.
Really, all of the down-sizing of airplane seats isn’t in regards to saving fuel costs or any such nonsense, it’s to feed the sadistic sexual fantasies of the people sitting in first class.
I’ve been bumped a couple of times because of airline error, and while first class was a nice bonus, never would I pay the insane prices for it. I’m more of a Southwest man myself.
If you live in a hub city and you’re flying that city’s main airline (Continental out of Newark, Houston or Cleveland; United from O’Hare or Denver; Delta from Atlanta or Cincinnatti; etc) then it’s doubtful that you’ll be upgraded just for asking. You’d be competing against dozens of elite-level frequent-flyers for upgrades.
Couldn’t hurt to ask though.
I’d recommend the approach that the agent with whom you’re dealing has a daily stressful job and that you’ll not be giving any trouble at all. Smile; be cheerful and charming. If the answer is ‘no’, be gracious.
It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that most of the success stories here (save the ones that were upgraded as compensation) happened before 9/11/01. Airlines now are trying to eek every last cent that they can. And it’s quite possible that the person whom you’re asking lacks the authority to give you a “yes” answer. Infractions of airline policies can cause an employee to be fired. In today’s airline environment, those employees have been lucky to survive layoffs, benefit cuts and outright firings anyway.
I’ve always, pre and post 9/11 been able to get upgrades when I volunteer to be bumped. I travel a fair amount for work but rarely with a schedule so tight I couldn’t take a later flight. By volunteering to take a later flight, I’ve gotten upgrades to first class, along with vouchers for other flights (which I take advantage of), meal vouchers and hotel vouchers all of which I could either use then or use later. I take advantage of those too. Delta, American, United, and Northwest are all willing to do this, at least in my experience. Volunteering and being nice about it can get you some good stuff.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned one of the best perks of first class. Free booze!
I never asked. I do get free upgrades though now that I made elite status on my continental card. It happens automatically so you don’t need to ask, as long as you book the flight using your member number. I’ve done it a few times now.
Business/First Class is definitely nice, the biggest benefit being the comfy seats, but I don’t think it’s worth paying for on your own dime. I even say that for long flights, having flown to Japan 3 times in coach (about 13 hrs each way), and Hawaii 3 times (about 10 hours each way). Well, actually, if I had to take an old cramped 747 again I might pay for the upgrade, but the newer 767 & 777 are actually rather comfortable in coach, which is why I stick with Continental for the aforementioned long flights.
Mrs. HeyHomie and I were flying from St. Louis to Orlando in October of 2002. American Airlines direct STL-MCO on a Thursday night, about 7:00ish.
Anyway, we go to the counter to check in, and the guy in front of us is being all hateful and abusive, using loud and vulgar language, blah blah blah. Anyway, I could tell from the conversation that the gist of the matter was that they had overbooked the flight. Well, it came our turn to check in. The lady told us that the flight was overbooked, yada yada yada. I politely told her to do her best, that we weren’t going to walk to Orlando so it didn’t matter if we got there that night or in the wee hours of the following morning.
Minutes later, our name was called, and we were handed our boarding passes. First Class!
As we were sitting on the plane, the ticket agent peeked through the door and smiled at us.
So, to reiterate what other posters have said… it pays to be nice.
