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A flight attendant has revealed all the tips and tricks on how to get an upgrade to first class – for free.
Utah’s Cierra Mist regularly reveals her flight tricks and secrets, from why your seat should be upright to how you can become your flight attendant’s star passenger.
Sitting in the illustrious front row is simply a dream for many who do not have the budget to purchase expensive airline tickets.
Giving us a peek behind the cabin curtain, Cierra has revealed countless ways to get the upgrade at no extra cost.
These are the three methods that will increase your chances of getting better seats.
Flight attendant Cierra Mist (pictured) revealed the three ways you can get an upgrade to the exclusive first class rows for free
From giving up his seat on an overbooked flight to getting into the last row, the cabin crew member shared the easy methods to secure that illustrious first class seat.
1. Sit in the last row
Sitting in the last row of the plane can be an advantage for several reasons, usually because it allows you to be one of the first to sit down and leave the plane.
However, being in the back row greatly increases your chances of being transported to first class, according to the flight attendant.
Cierra admitted the advice sounded “a bit strange”, explaining that cabin crew usually move passengers seated here on the flight who are not full to ensure the weight of the plane is evenly distributed.
Explaining the procedure if the flight is less crowded, he added: “If that is the case, the flight attendants will choose the people in the last row to go in front.”
‘[This is] so they can sit [in the seats] after doing your service because it is much more comfortable to sit in those passenger seats than in the jump seats.
2. Give up your seat
The second method Cierra said works “99.9 percent” of the time was to give up your seat if you’re on an overbooked flight.
Some airlines occasionally oversell their flights in an attempt to recover the cost of seat cancellations.
However, with summer just around the corner, most holidaymakers will be eager to jet off on their sunny holidays, meaning cancellations are few and far between.
But if you’re not in a hurry to get to your destination, you could use the airline mishap to your advantage, according to Cierra.
The flight attendant explained that if you voluntarily offer your seat on an overbooked or full flight, you can negotiate an upgrade on your alternative trip.
She divulged that airlines will not initially offer her an airport voucher worth between $200 and $500.
However, it revealed step-by-step how you can secure your premium first class seat after giving up your previous one for the entire flight.
‘Go to the gate agent first. second give them the price [of your initial flight] and say you want it in cash,’ he said.
For the final step, Cierra revealed that you have to ask the boarding agent to put you in first class “to compensate” for the lost time.
According to Cierra, a sure way to ensure you get upgraded to first class is to give up your seat on a crowded flight; However, you should only do this if you have a lot of free time (stock image)
3.Emergency services workers
The flight attendant’s final tip for getting a free upgrade to the exclusive first class rows is to notify the crew if you work for emergency services.
Informing flight attendants that you are a police officer, nurse or firefighter lets them know that you can help in emergency circumstances on board.
As a result, they at least notify the team, if not offer you an upgrade to business class or first class.
“At the very least, they’ll put you in an existing row that has a lot more legroom and a lot more room to relax,” Cierra explained.
“But know that in case of emergency you will have to help us.”