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Home  >  Travel Tips & Hacks  >  How I ‘hacked’ my way to Business Class flights…
Travel Tips & Hacks

How I ‘hacked’ my way to Business Class flights…

Siobháin Spear October 14, 2019
Business Class cabin with TV and champagne onboard Eithad Airways

Spoiler alert: ‘Hacking’ your way to Business Class flights just isn’t a thing. Yes, there are happy accidents that result in last-minute flight upgrades. Yes, the odds are in your favour when you demonstrate loyalty to a specific airline. Yes, you can spend on bank cards and save up miles. But there is no such thing as this “works-every-time” hack that social hearsay would have you believe.

In a world where people are selling you quick ‘hacks’ to happiness, getting rich, losing weight, success and… well, pretty much everything, just remember that the proliferation of this hack-and-hope culture has risen in correlation with the number of people living their ‘best life’ on social media. That is, to put it politely, there’s a lot of BS out there.

My first (and only) free upgrade to Business Class

The first-time I ever flew Business Class was on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Bangalore… and it was completely unexpected. You know, one of those surprise upgrades that we have all seen people bragging about on social media, which “always happen to everyone else – just not me”.

It was a confusing experience; partly because I was under the impression that a successful man I (barely) knew had rang Emirates and upgraded me*, but also partly because nobody approached me with a bill for the handful of mojitos I drank while basking in all my business-class glory before I off-boarded the 4-hour flight. I had no idea how this ‘upgrade’ life worked, so leaving the plane and collecting my ‘priority’ luggage before strutting my tipsy self through fast-track security was the actual-factual dawning of my realization that flying Business Class was, as far as a frequent flyer is concerned, the absolute dream.

*Note: following on from my ‘thank you!’ WhatsApp, I found out that the successful man I (barely) knew had not – as any normal person would have fathomed – played any role in the upgrade. Awks.

Emirates upgrade to Business Class

Following on from that first experience, I became a lot more comfortable with the idea of flying Business. So comfortable, in fact, that I spent my next Business Class experience (a return work flight from Dubai to San Francisco – 3 years later) sleeping for 14 of the 16 hours that we were onboard. Impressive, I know – especially since it was a brand-spanking new A380. That’s the double-decker airbus with an accompanying bar – a free bar, may I add.

I could not get over the fact that while I had been brushing my knees off the economy seat in front of me for the last decade, there were people stretched out – horizontally – in a chair that had the ability to massage them. And I wanted a bit of that life… just a glimpse.

That one flight bumped me up with enough points to attain and retain Silver Status for an entire year. Once you’re at Silver Status with Emirates, there’s a whole lot of benefits that you can take advantage of. For example:

  • You can make the most of a Business Class lounge before your flight – even if you’re economy (which was me, every time).
  • You also increase your probability of getting a free upgrade, which typically happens when a flight is overbooked in economy so the airline bumps people up to empty business class seats.
  • You can use your miles to purchase an instant upgrade at the airport so, essentially, it’s free.

Upgrade to Etihad Business Class

Okay, so if you live in the UAE then you already know that there’s a lot of cabin crew living in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But there’s also a lot of other permanent airline staff, including engineers, pilots, check-in staff, office staff and more.

Both Emirates and Etihad are huge airlines, and Etihad is the UAE’s national airline. Now, one of the major perks for working for the national airline is the heavily-discounted flights that are assigned to staff every year. This makes business class tickets extremely affordable.

So, what’s that travel hack you came here for? If you know people working for Etihad (or Emirates), the chances are that they have plenty of tickets that may never be used. Yep, you read that correctly; there are likely thousands of discounted flights going to waste because your friend or acquaintance has too many to use up. If you spend a small fortune on flights, you may have just shed a small tear.

Immoral moral of the story? Befriend someone* who works for a big airline and gets heavily discounted tickets that often go to waste…

This is my secret to frequent and affordable travel. Why? Because I’m willing to take the chances of flying standby with Etihad. This means I get placed on a standby booking, then I go to the airport and if there are available seats in business class (or economy), I can board. Some people hate the ‘risk’ involved with standby flights, but to-date, this risk has paid off for me every time.

*(Maybe even marry them for unlimited access to aforementioned tickets? Just an idea…)

How to get a flight upgrade: increase your chances

So you’re already high on the tiers of airline rewards and you’ve never had an upgrade? You know no airline staff and can’t imagine getting to know any without feeling like you have an ulterior motive? You are the unluckiest person in the world and the chances of you being selected for a surprise upgrade are negligible? Let’s finish with a handful of other ways that you can increase your chances of getting an airline upgrade:

  • Travel solo – if there’s one seat left in business and you’re flying on your own, then you are more likely to get selected than if you are traveling in a group
  • Politely inform check-in staff about your special occasion – we’ve all seen the ‘just married’ couple jetting off on honeymoon with their feet up and a champagne in hand. Don’t try to trick them by telling them it’s your birthday when it’s not; remember, they have your passport in front of them.
  • Volunteer to give up your seat. Airlines often overbook flights because the probability is that people won’t show up (I’ve never understood how so many people don’t show up for a flight, but it happens… like, all the time. If there is absolutely no seats on the plane and time is on your side, volunteer to go on the next flight – in business class.
  • Dress for business – if you look the part then you naturally increase your upgrade chances.
  • Chance your luck – it won’t hurt to ask, right? Who knows when it could be your lucky day.

You may not be able to ‘hack’ your way to a free upgrade, but there are plenty of ways to increase your chances and to get your hands on cheaper Business Class tickets.


Check out top destinations for your next getaway, and let me know if you get an upgrade somewhere along the way!

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Fusing a love for travel with a passion for storytelling, Away With Words was brought to life by Siobháin Spear in 2018. Siobháin is the Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder of insydo, a regional lifestyle publisher; she is also a Co-Founder of Brand Ripplr, the region’s largest influencer platform.

Having met many talented globetrotters while clocking up her 56 countries, Siobháin opened up Away With Words to the digital nomads of the Middle East – those worldwide wanderers who take full advantage of living in one of the fastest-growing travel hubs on the map. Born out of a passion for exploring the globe and creating infectious content, Away With Words is a meeting of creative minds from across the World (Wide Web).

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