Air travel is sometimes a necessity. With it comes sitting in a cramped seat, elbow to elbow with the person next to you, hoping things go by quickly so you can get up and stretch without knowing you have to fold back up like a lawn chair. First class seems like an impossible dream in this situation. It is not true. You can get an upgrade to first class. You just have to do a little work for it.
Use your Frequent Flier program points. While it might take a long time to get enough points for an actual flight, the amount necessary for an upgrade is lower, allowing you to get some use out of your points prior to their expiration, if they have one.
Look for sales. Airlines run sales on their first-class seats, so get your airline's newsletter and see if they have a sale when you want to travel.
Shop around. Pick your airline based on volume, and there are more upgrade seats possible--and more likely to be available.
Check the day before and the day of your flight. Some airlines allow you to purchase the upgrade for a smaller fee the day before you travel, either over the Internet or by phone. Otherwise, upgrades to first class might be available the day of at the ticket counter.
Do the airline a favor. There are two things you can do for the airline that might result in an upgrade: allowing them to move you to a different seat or a different flight. It is common practice for airlines to overbook flights, because there is always the possibility of people not showing up. However, this also means that when everyone does show up, there are not enough seats for everybody. When the airline asks for volunteers to take a later flight, volunteer and let the agent know you would like an upgrade for your inconvenience. They are usually more than happy to oblige. Seating arrangements onboard flights can often be a problem. Letting the stewardess move you to help out another passenger is another good way to move up to first class.
