# cheap last minute first class upgrades

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-last-minute-first-class-upgrades/124220>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 16, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-last-minute-first-class-upgrades/124220 "2002-08-16T17:09:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![slackergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@slackergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slackergirl)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-last-minute-first-class-upgrades/124220/1 "2002-08-16T17:09:43Z")

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Alaska Airlines will let coach ticketed passengers upgrade to first class for $50 at the gate, on a first come first served basis.

Does anybody know if any of the other big airlines do this too?

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**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-last-minute-first-class-upgrades/124220/2 "2002-08-16T17:44:00Z")

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Delta does it also, based on availbility.

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**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-last-minute-first-class-upgrades/124220/3 "2002-08-16T17:45:30Z")

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Yup, I can confirm that Delta does it at some airports.

Not that I’ve flown Coach since…October 2001 on Delta (out of about 50 flights). 😃

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-last-minute-first-class-upgrades/124220/4 "2002-08-16T20:23:32Z")

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I’ve had a free upgrade on British Airways; once this was just because I asked nicely at the check-in (and I was smartly dressed), the other time it was because they asked me if I would mind taking a flight an hour later for £80 cash (It was a business flight and I was in no particular hurry, so I said yes, but in the end they didn’t need me to, but they upgraded me as a thank-you)