The simple gifts you can buy at the airport that could get you upgrades from your flight attendant
THE dream as a passenger is to get on board your plane, ready to turn right to head towards the economy seats, only for the flight attendants to pull you up and tell you that you’ve been upgraded.
The truth is it rarely, if ever, happens like that and you need to twist our arms a bit if you want to convince us that you’re worthy of a better seat.
There are some simple ways you can do that – including a touch of gentle bribery.
You can’t just get on and expect to be bumped up without offering anything in return.
But if you scratch our back, we’re much more inclined to scratch yours.
That might not always be with an upgrade, but you could definitely be in line for some preferential treatment.
Free drinks, extra top ups, toiletries, snacks etc could all be coming your way and all you need to do is to make the first move.
That could be as small as giving us chocolates, or it could be gift vouchers – the more generous you are, the more likely you are to get something in return.
But it doesn’t always have to be a lot.
I’ve seen people get themselves into first class before with a big bag of Skittles before – we’re not really that picky.
But it’s always best to hedge your bets because passengers are cottoning on and more people are trying their luck.
Especially American passengers – in my experience they’re the most likely to give us a little gift and, in turn, reap the rewards.
I don’t know whether it’s because of their tipping culture or whatever, but they’re definitely the people who hand us over the most gifts.
So they’re your main source of competition.
The best way to do it is to just hand it to the people standing by the door as you board the plane, say a big friendly hello and then make your way to your seat.
If there’s anything left near the front of the aircraft and you left an impression, then you’re more likely to get moved up.
If you really want to lay it on thick, tell us you’re afraid of flying or that you’ve got a bad back, or bad legs, while also handing over the gifts.
If you find a sympathetic ear, again your chances of getting an upgrade will be improved.
It may seem needy and you may feel silly doing it, especially in front of everyone else, but they’ll feel stupid when you’re getting moved to the front of the plane, or getting all your drinks first.
But it does really work, I promise you. It makes us feel appreciated and we like to feel that way.
So anyone who gives me gifts is always going to be my first port of call when I’m walking through the cabin looking to see if anyone needs a refill.
If they really leave an impression, I’ll see if I can slot them into one of our nicer seats on the plane.
Meanwhile, these are the clothes that flight attendants insist you should never wear on planes.
And this is why cabin crew members sit on their hands.