A former Virgin Atlantic flight attendant has revealed the two things you need to consider when requesting an upgrade on a flight. Mandy Smith worked for Richard Branson’s airline for 12 years and is also the author of Cabin Fever, which gives an insight into the secrets of the job.
Mandy recently appeared in an Honesty Box interview with LADBible and revealed the secret to getting a free upgrade, but warned that it doesn’t happen as often as you might think.
In a clip posted to TikTok, she answered the burning question. “Oh my God, if I could tell you how many times I’ve been asked that, it’s hilarious,” she said. The first thing you need to remember is to “dress well.”
Mandy explained, “Dress well, and dress appropriately for the cabin you want to be in.”
And the second point? Don’t fly with children. “Children will never be upgraded, ever,” she said. “And be polite and nice, don’t shout at anyone, because negative behavior will not be rewarded.”
The former flight attendant went on to explain that an airline would “never” put a child in first class or premium economy class. “Because then the children usually disturb the other passengers,” she said. “That’s why you never get an upgrade with children, and if there are free seats, they usually go to the people on standby first.”
“I know that sounds really weird because you would give free seats to your staff and not to your passengers, but they really want people to pay for what they get, so they try not to give people free upgrades if they can, sorry.”
