Two words that could guarantee you an airline upgrade

A jet-setting international author says that she’s had 100 per cent success in bagging a flight upgrade to first class – by uttering two crucial words.

Briton Tilly Bagshawe says that many of her 100,000 miles a year have been flown in the best class of airline cabin – all because she knows how to play the upgrade system. 

And, says Bagshawe, it all comes down to two little words: ‘revenue management’. 

The corporate-sounding phrase is apparently the key to ensuring that airlines release seats in First Class that would otherwise go empty.

The 44-year-old told Bloomberg she’s yet to pay for an upper class seat with the airline she uses most, Virgin Atlantic. 

Tilly Bagshawe says the words ‘revenue management’ regularly see her upgraded to first class on flights with Virgin Atlantic

Ahead of her flight, she’ll call the reservations team and say: ‘Have revenue management released any first-class seats for miles upgrades yet?’

She explains: ‘When they say no, ask them to check or just be put through to revenue management so you can ask when they will release some, as well as how many seats are left.’

Bagshawe says the trick is to ‘politely respond like this: “You have 20 seats unsold? Why aren’t you releasing them?”‘

She says that by the end of the conversation, the person on the end of the phone has almost certainly released an upper class seat for her.

However, it seems the airline favours the most loyal customers.  

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman told Business Insider: ‘Each year we release thousands of reward seats for our Flying Club members and customers can check availability online and through our contact centre.’