Tips to get upgraded in Aer Lingus?

Car99 wrote: »

Money talks , slip the the check in person €100 in your ticket pouch as you hand it to them while requesting the upgrade and arrive early when there is no queue. Works everytime.

Possibly also add "You're a lovely girl" with a knowing wink.

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

For long flights with Aer Lingus, has anyone ever got bumped up to Business Class by simply asking at check in if there were any free seats? I know they do a bid system to ask people to bid on an upgrade but I would like to know if people have any particular tips on the best routes to get upgraded, the best time, how to ask etc. Is there an art to it or is it pure luck?

Those days are all but gone.

First there is the bid to upgrade, then there is the frequent fliers. You would need to be a top tier flyer to get the free upgrade, then there is economy ticket. If it was a last minute fully flexible ticket you might have a chance.

After that it comes down the the value of your ticket and how much you paid. But if you paid less than 500 for a return flight severely restricted ticket you will be lucky to get on the flight.

Assuming all of that is not necessary, turning up in a nice shirt, casual trousers, shaven and groomed, then you might have the slimmest chance!!! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

There is no trick really, but its very rare

So the rules (yes there actually is an official set of rules for operational upgrade)

* Show up early, be polite, shirt, jacket and proper shoes
* Have status
* Get to know the staff, its only a small group of staff who work the check in and lounge (its a single group)

There aren't many people in that department to start

I've been quite successful over the years, even on cheap tickets. Two of us together on separate tickets got the upgrade, other two didn't, purely on status.

EI runs a very busy economy load so there is always a chance

Bid to upgrade has to be confirmed a few days in advance, so if something goes wrong on the day, e.g they put on the HGW -300 with the 4 fewer seats

There is a theory that EI never overbooks, but will book to a certain point that there is a seat for everyone, just some are now in business and sort it out a checkin

Cloudio9 wrote: »

One time when I was elite I asked could I cash in points for an upgrade in the
Lounge. She paged me a few minutes later with the upgrade and said don't worry about the points

Tried this one with Etihad...cost me 40,000 miles but man was it worth it for the experience on A380

Aer Lingus does have a policy, I've been told this by senior check in staff.

I always travel smart, so proper shoes, ironed shirt, jacket and that is sufficient to get past the requirements

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I refuse to fly in business attire. Who wants to spend 13 hours on a plane in a shirt and trousers? First and Business, I'm always in shorts and a tshirt with a hoodie. The richest of the rich don't fly commercial anyway so any illusions of grandeur or prestige are misplaced.

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies so far. Has anyone actually managed to have their bid for Business Class accepted and if so how much extra did you offer?

Got business back from Boston-SNN in April for €320 bid (minimum I could bid). Was full with only one seat spare (they always keep one back for flexible fare business, in this case not need).

Thats what I've been told as well, only if there is an operational need and then pick the highest status holder checked in.

Irishweather wrote: »

Is there a chance a paid Business Class ticket can be downgraded, at all?

Highly unlikely unless the aircraft goes tech.

just bring a book or snooze and sit down , whatever the experience in first class its hardly worthwhile getting all het up about and ' bidding for a seat ',who's got time for all that crap for a few hrs flight ??

judeboy101 wrote: »

Have the missus bring a wedding dress and ask the staff to take special care of it, its worked twice for us.

Isn't that a bit desperate?

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Surely they wont refuse you entry to Business Class if you are wearing trainers and casual clothes, jeans etc?? That seems to be what people here are implying..

No - once you pay its fine. On LAX/SFO its likely the entire paid J class cabin will be dressed like that.

You are unlikely to get an upgrade in casual clothes, unless you have top-level status/are known to staff/etc

MysticMonk wrote: »

Any tech workers I know dress in ill-fitting suits,wear converse and have manky hair and dirty beards.

That was my point. Suits is a stretch, really. Jeans, tshirts, skate shoes, laptop bag that cost more than the rest together.

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Well that's your opinion. Business Class is a different kind of luxury, and if I'm lucky I may get to enjoy the perks as I cross over. I much prefer to get upgraded on the way home rather than on the way over. And anyway, it probably wont even happen because I don't think it will be accepted.

I fly to the states quite regularly in business. And you're right on the way home it's nicer as you can sleep and arrive rested and jet lag shouldn't be too much of an issue.

However if I was doing it myself and my partner it's much better to have the outbound leg. You get to savour all the pampering .

If your flight is mid-week your chances will be higher me thinks.

killbillvol2 wrote: »

People who scoff at business Class have obviously never tried it. 550 may or may not be enough but it has a chance. There are threads on FlyerTalk for all the airlines with upgrade bidding but very little data to go on for Aer Lingus. Good luck!

Yup. I pay the extra to have a flexible schedule. I'm quite often cancelling my plans up to 24 hours before the plane leaves the tarmac. The business tickets allows me to do this a lot better along with arriving fresher, not worrying about check-in, running to grab a seat, baggage limitations, skipping long security lines etc etc.

This might be a bit gross but every time I travel economy by the time I sit in the seat, I'm sweating buckets due to stressing about time, when I fly business I never stress one bit.