If you’re hoping to score an upgrade on your next flight, here’s a list you might want to check out. I asked my friends over at ExpertFlyer to pull the ten most-requested city pairs for upgrades. (By the way, check out the end of this list for a special offer for readers of this blog.)
Here, then, is the list of top city pairs, courtesy of ExpertFlyer:
1. New York – London (*)
2. Chicago – London
3. New York – Los Angeles
4. Los Angeles – London
5. Dallas – London
6. Dallas – Tokyo
7. New York – San Francisco
8. Los Angeles – Tokyo
9. Atlanta – Tokyo
10. Dallas – Frankfurt
* Cities with multiple airports, such as New York, are counted as a single city for the purposes of this list.
“I don’t see any surprises here,” says Chris Lopinto, a partner at ExpertFlyer.com. “It makes sense that 8 of the 10 are to international destinations and the other 2 are transcons.”
Still, it’s an illuminating list, because it gives the rest of us a better idea of what our chances are of securing one of the good seats. And really, who wants to fly from Atlanta to Tokyo in steerage?
Get 15 percent off an ExpertFlyer subscription: I’m a big fan of ExpertFlyer because it’s such a useful and subversive tool for frequent air travelers. (It displays flight information exactly the way a travel agent would see it, not the way the airline wants you to see it.) You can find the lowest fare, seat availability and determine your real chances for an upgrade.
I asked Lopinto if he could offer readers of Elliott.org a discount on ExpertFlyer subscriptions, and he was happy to oblige. (Full disclosure: I’m not getting a percentage of these subscriptions or any kind of other compensation from ExpertFlyer — it’s just service to my readers.) The coupon code, GUCFOGAQ is valid until Jan. 31. Click here to sign up.
Happy travels.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I FINALLY got to upgrade today. My favorite upgrade – I left for the airport, took wrapped presents, a cat, my family, no security except for the card key and the door to the hangar. I sat in front, climbed through some clouds to about 1000 feet over the clouds and flew over NYC [never saw it]. Then as we came south were about 500 under a cloud deck giving some wonderful effects of speed. Then we arrived in South Carolina, and it was warm – wonderfully warm. Its the best seat in the house. The only hassle was worrying about the weather in New England all week. Truly a blessing!
My best luck with upgrades: Philadelphia to Detroit on US Airways.
I’ve been able to upgrade to First Class at the counter for a paltry $50 every single time I’ve flown.
I made sure to drink enough free booze to make it worth my money. :-)
Dog gone– here it is the 30th of January and last minute me trying to get onboard with Expert Flyer, only to be told that the coupon has’ either expired or already been used’ –guess I’m out of luck for the 15 % break
Darn, missed the discount.