I’m a flight attendant – here’s how to bag a free upgrade and what NOT to say

A FLIGHT attendant has revealed the best ways to increase your chances of getting a free upgrade – and what NOT to say.

Miguel Muñoz claims that there is more than one way to get yourself bumped up while flying without forking out for the more expensive ticket.

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He says that you should avoid being “dramatic” or “lying” to cabin crew, and that staff see through a request for water due to illness as a ploy to be upgraded.

Instead passengers should be “nice and honest” to flight attendants as you are much more likely to get better seats.

Speaking to the Daily Express, Miguel says if there’s an upgrade to be given he will always give it to the passengers he likes the most.

He said: “Sometimes people come to me asking for an orange juice or a snack because they say they are dizzy or have low blood sugar.

“We automatically think they are lying just to get something for free. And probably some people lie.

“But I always think if you’re lying karma will come back for sure. But if they are not lying and I don’t give them anything it’s even worse.

“I have to, just in case. On the plane, the crew is in charge of helping passengers, so we have to trust them really.”

Miguel also believed that saying you feel unwell is a good trick to get free stuff, as cabin crew can’t question when they are feeling unwell.

But he explained that it depends how you ask, adding: “Most airlines don’t give anything for free, not even water, so when passengers come saying they are very thirsty, they need to take medication or they just ask for a glass of water, I officially have to say no.

“First, I always tell them that we sell bottles of water. I’d normally give it for free but it all depends on how you ask really.

“For example, if after I say we charge for water they get all upset saying things like ‘but the law says you have to give me free water’ or ‘ it’s a human right’ automatically I’m not going to give them any.

“Now, if you say you don’t feel well or you ask very nicely then definitely I will be giving that to you.”

In terms of upgrades, Miguel said “it’s about being nice and honest” and explained what passengers should and shouldn’t say to get better seats on board.

The flight attendant explained: “If passengers come to me and say they need more space for some reason I move them to the overwings.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY

“But you have to be careful with what you say! Because if you say you have a bad knee, for example, I have to be careful with these people as passengers seating by emergency exits are the ones who have to assist the crew in case of an emergency.

“If you can’t operate the emergency exit because you have a bad knee I can’t move you to the overwings. So it won’t work.

“My advice is to be honest, don’t try to be dramatic. If it’s true that you have a bad leg, fair enough, but don’t lie about it because probably you don’t know it but it won’t benefit you.

“The other day a passenger said he had hip pain and he wanted to have extra legroom.

“Unfortunately, because of that, I couldn’t move him to the emergency exit but I moved him to the last row which was completely empty.

“Just be honest. If you don’t have any pain, simply say ‘Hey if you guys had any seats available in the emergency exit row could you let me know?’ and I will.

“Make it easier for the crew, basically. And of course, when we have passengers who are very tall and need more space or people who nicely ask for it because they just want to be more comfortable.

“If the seats are free, I definitely move them.”