What’s the best part of traveling? Is it the planning? May be the hotel or may be the adventures? Like the mountains, the hikes, the views of the beach, or is it the surf? Whether leisure or business travel, for me the best part of the trip is…The Upgrade! So how did this happen? Was it just luck? How do you go from economy to business class/first class?
Getting upgraded while traveling elevates the whole experience beyond just the natural excitement of traveling to a destination. How do I know? On August 26th, I was booked to travel to Buenos Aires on United Airlines flight on a coach seat. On August 25th, as I was completing the checking process, I noticed that my intended seat for this 9-hour overnight flight would be the dreaded middle seat. AWWW!!! Nope, I couldn’t do it so, I upgraded myself to Premium + which would allow me to have an aisle seat, more food and up to 5 additional inches of leg room. I picked seat 22K as this was the lowest priced Premium + with an aisle seat. So, for an additional $225, I saved myself from the dreaded middle seat. But I digress, this not the tale of upgrade I am referring to, just the opening sequence. As I completed the upgrade to Premium +, United Airlines asked me if I would be willing give up my seat. The flight apparently was overbooked, I said yes for $2000.00. I had paid $1,400.00 for my flight so $2k would give me a slight profit. I arrived at the airport and as I was dropping bag, again I was asked to volunteer my seat. I again confirmed the $2000.00 and went to the gate.
When it came time to board my boarding pass on my phone said the seat was 3C. I was confused as I knew that last night, I picked 22K. Had my flight changed, was my bid accepted? I immediately made a bee line for the counter and ask the attendant, why my seat selection wasn’t honored and was this a better seat or not. As you can note, I am not used to being so far up in front of the airplane. They good naturedly joke and asked if I wanted to go back to the 22K, they could bring me back. I was so stunned; I couldn’t believe it! I was told to walk down the Premier boarding lane as I was group 1. Nothing beats walking into First Class, the treatment is very different. First class seats are roomy and intimate, the flatbeds, the food the champagne and more. You get a real comforter to keep you warm, endless snacks and the screen allows you to comfortably watch your entertainment in a truly relaxed atmosphere. The pilot came out and talked to us about our flight and time to reach our destination. I was such a novice; I spilled my champagne trying to get pictures of the comfortable seating arrangement. Check out these cheesy smiles! Being upgraded is definitely the best part of flying.
