What's the best travel upgrade you've received?

[Mattg]

I must say it was pretty weird that they did not offer me the upgrade to start with, but anyway....

I wonder if this is the same reason that my parents are sometimes greeted with "Welcome Dr and Mrs [surname]" on Qantas flights, when my mother is the doctor.

 

[drron]

I wonder if this is the same reason that my parents are sometimes greeted with "Welcome Dr and Mrs [surname]" on Qantas flights, when my mother is the doctor.

Or the CSM comes and talks to me when mrsdrron is the WP and me a mere NB.

 

[Seat0B]

I wonder if this is the same reason that my parents are sometimes greeted with "Welcome Dr and Mrs [surname]" on Qantas flights, when my mother is the doctor.

It has certainly happened a lot to us that cabin crew just assume Mr Seat 0A was the P1. Now I’m just a WP they don’t greet me (or him) that energetically. So I’m going to say yes, I think it is probably the same reason, @Mattg!

 

[Brissy1]

That doesn't sound like BA at all!

Now, now, I have also been given a parting bottle of champagne at the end of a j flight with BA, the FA had formed the impression that I liked the stuff, can't imagined how

 

[Flashback]

Now, now, I have also been given a parting bottle of champagne at the end of a j flight with BA, the FA had formed the impression that I liked the stuff, can't imagined how

I can beat that, we were given a bottle of champagne at the end of a short haul Y flight last year. They moved from the small bottles to the big bottles last year in certain flight bandings so was a full 750ml

 

[only4tehlulz]

While still a student, I got (somehow) upgraded at the gate to J on the SYD-DXB leg of my return flight back home to Europe with Emirates.

It was on their 777, so (looking back at it now) it was a 2-3-2 arrangement, not fully lie-flat seats etc but that moment, it was the best thing ever. I think that when they served dinner and brought out the miniature salt-pepper shakers was the point of no return for FF status, churning etc. If I knew of all the perks, I probably would have drank a bit more though

 

[CaptainPesmo]

I've only had one free flight upgrade, and my guess it was the result of a system glitch. About a decade ago Qantas had an offer where even the cheapest international economy tickets were eligible for points upgrades. I requested the upgrade for my Sydney to Narita trip, thinking my chances were slim as I only had silver status (or maybe even bronze?). At bag drop I found out I'd been upgraded to business. I felt lucky to have scored the points upgrade, but even luckier when it turned out they never deducted the points from my account.

I've had more luck with rental cars. Eg. Booking a Camry and ending up in an Audi A6. I think Europcar regretted that one, because the Audi only included 200km/day, but I did a whole lot more than that while keeping the unlimited kilometres of my original booking.

 

[bazza25]

The only flight upgrade I've had was on a UA flight from SF to SYD, I was a student in HI, and was flying home on a "buddy pass" basically standby, a friend worked for UA, and I flew from HI to SF to SYD for I think it was $300USD back in 1998.
After flying Y to SF, I had an all day layover checking out Alcatraz, and the piers. returned to the airport for my flight, I check in with the desk around 6pm for a 11pm flight I think it was. Boarding time comes, so i'm at the gate waiting for my name to be called to get a boarding pass (I had no idea how things worked so didn't know what to expect.) I had my hopes up to get something towards the front of the plane, but since other people had been called up, I resigned to hoping that I would get an empty row down the back to lay down.
After what seemed like forever for young me, my name was called and I got my boarding pass, and to my delight and surprise, it was business class on the 747...
Now my memory isn't the clearest, but the seats weren't the fanciest, or did anything great, but there was more room than in Y. I don't remember the finer details, or what the food was like, but something I do remember, Before landing in SYD, the lady next to me, she had a glass of what I think was champagne, and she was asleep, she wakes up and accidentally knocks the glass over onto me, and down the side of the seat. Flight attendant is called, and she right away gets me to get out of the seat, exclaiming that she doesn't want me to get electrocuted...!! Since we were landing soon, all they did was stuff a bunch of blankets down the side of the seat so I wasn't sitting in a wet seat. Apart from that, Business class on basically a free ticket was nice.

 

[pks]

A couple of nice upgrades and a 'missed' one.

• Whilst working Seattle, I flew to London for the Thanksgiving Day weekend with BA, a big weekend with family and friends and arrived at LHR feeling a little shabby for the return flight and got the boarding pass ping at the gate. New seat was middle row of business class on lower deck of a 747, just got settle in when the two passengers either side asked if I'd swap seats with one of their colleagues who had a window seat. A great flight and got 6-7hrs sleep I wasn't expecting in Y!
  
  
• A great hotel upgrade at the Le Grand in Paris. Went to watch the final stage of the Tour de France before the London Olympics and had booked a twin room with my brother using my IHG points, however when we checked in they didn't have any twin rooms so upgraded us to a larger room with a camp bed for my brother and gave us Club access and a drinks voucher for e50

The 'missed' one was returning from London on QF in J on points a mate of mine working for Qantas said he'd let the cabin manger know I was on the flight. As it was nobody made any special introductions to me and I just enjoyed a standard J class flight home. Later my mate asked my flight was, I said ok but noone said hello. He then informed me that the Cabin Manager had found the passenger and upgraded them to F! It's a shame he got the flight details wrong and found another passenger with the same surname!

 

[flyingfan]

He then informed me that the Cabin Manager had found the passenger and upgraded them to F! It's a shame he got the flight details wrong and found another passenger with the same surname!

Shame in your case. On the other side of the world, someone's saying "Let me tell you about this one time I got this upgrade out of nowhere..."

 

[SOPOOR]

ive never received an upgrade on a plane since I usually travel lcc or redemption points

my best airline "upgrade" is when they forgot to serve me my prepaid meal on an air asia flight,

my best hotel upgrade, is a cheap 5 start hotel in BKK, the rooms were about $180 per night low season or $120 via agoda, however at the time, wotif had mystery hotels and I paid $70 per night,
got there and they upgraded me to the 1 bdr suite due to overbooking, which had a living room, tv and sofa in living room, kitchen, study, 82sqm!
Walked in and was amazed,

booked the next few nights via wotif again!

 

[Brissy1]

...best airline "upgrade" is when they forgot to serve me my prepaid meal on an air asia flight

love it

 

[Brissy1]

Avis upgrade at Cairns, booked 4days smallest/cheapest to drive up to the Atherton Tablelands for wedding. Were offered Pajero Exceed... quick itinerary rearrangement, Cairns to Mareeba via Cape Tribulation.

 

[Limewood]

At the gate years ago was upped from J to F on SYD/SFO trip on a 747 up in bubble then, sat next to Bob Jane who I had met decades before, we talked a lot and drank our share, after baggage he gave me a lift in a limo to my hotel in town.

 

[StevoQFtraveller]

Don't know whether it is a normal thing for BA, but I am QF platinum and whenever I use QF points on Y class BA, I am always bumped up to PE. Has happened 4 x so far. Not complaining.

 

[AIRwin]

Thanks to flight disruptions from a typhoon in HKG, CX upgraded my award business class seat to a first class suite on a short flight to TPE operated by their long haul 77W! I was initially annoyed to find someone in my original seat and approached one of the cabin crew in the front cabin to sort it out. She checked her tablet and then she ushered me to the suite which I had initially walked past. Shortly after I settled in, the ground agent came on board to page my name and asked to see my boarding pass so it looks like there may have been some confusion due to a timing issue as there had been no beep at the boarding gate. We were then on the ground for almost 2 hours waiting for the typhoon to ease so I reclined the seat to fully lie flat for a badly needed nap (I had stayed up in the airport overnight) which turned out to be longer than the flight time itself.​

 

[Flying Fox]

One of the best upgrades that I received was after a stressful phone call. Was flying ADL-SYD-AKL in Y. Received a phone call late on the night before departure telling me that my ADL-SYD flight was cancelled and I was on the next flight. Explained about my connection and was told that the flight would be held for me (but I wasn't convinced that a whole plane would be held for me).

The next morning during my flight to SYD a flight attendant came to me and asked if I was connecting to AKL. She informed me to have everything ready to deplane ASAP and that they were going to make an announcement for everyone to remain seated whilst I deplaned. In addition a golf buggy would be waiting for me at the gate to drive me around to the AKL departure gate.

Sure enough, during the taxi to the terminal everyone was asked to remain seated to allow AKL passengers to get off first. Everyone complied and myself and one or two others exited the aircraft first. Jumped onto the golf buggy (I grabbed 1A) and was driven through the terminal. Had a nice chat to the driver with the beeping flashing lights going. Thanked him for his help. The one and only time that I have been driven through an airport terminal.

Went to board the aircraft (a B767 from memory) and my boarding pass got rejected. I was fortunate enough to be upgraded to J.

Overall a wonderful experience and great service recovery by QF.

 

[AIRwin]

The one and only time that I have been driven through an airport terminal.

SYD domestic or international?

 

[Seat0B]

I remembered another one. Flying home on QF in paid but discounted J from a visit to see my son in Dubai in 2017. Had a delightful meal in the Emirates First Lounge, with lovely attentive service from a beautifully groomed and intelligent young lady. She was just perfect in terms of the mix of attention and blending away. I know how cut throat the employment market is, so I asked her to please call the manager to the table and then come back. Her little face fell. Then the best ever smile as I gave her a well deserved compliment directly to her manager. He was also thrilled and asked if I would fill out a customer satisfaction card, which I did. When we went to leave the lounge to the lift area through the first boarding pass check - machine beeped. New boarding passes. Both of us upgraded to F. Small wave from watching manager as we departed. What joy all round.

 

[flyingfan]

Hotel - upgraded at the Holiday Inn to a suite on account of status (only time that freebie from VA plat paid dividends). That was nice. But the sweet reception staff asked us to go to the executive desk on a different floor to essentially repeat the check-in process, which at least doubled the time needed. A quick checkin is a good checkin, rather than double handling IMHO.

Never got a car rental upgrade, at least not that I've realised. Mustn't be playing the rental status game right, if there's such a thing.