A look at in-class seat upgrades
Welcome back, class. I note that there are a few absentees this week. I’m chalking that up to the impact of last month's Upgrade Economics 101, Part 5, lecture about upgrading from Premium Economy to Business Class round-trip to Tokyo
, among other lucrative lessons.
Unlike other college courses, we give you extra marks for skipping class to travel!
This month we’re delving deep into an upgrade economics masterpiece: how to upgrade simply by choosing the right aircraft.
Yes, I see you all looking at each other quizzically. This is a secret that seasoned pro flyers know about, and very soon you will too.
Higher Education: The In-Class Upgrade
Airlines keep a secret: Business Class on one flight can be vastly different on another — even for the same airline. It all has to do with the “equipment” they’re flying.
That’s because some flights on domestic routes are operated with aircraft that are configured for international flights. International cabins are much nicer – you get better seats, more room, sometimes better food, and so on. But occasionally the internationally configured planes are used for domestic flights, and that’s where the in-flight upgrade comes in. Because for no extra cost, you can get a much better experience simply by knowing which flights are internationally configured.
“What kind of equipment are you on?” — Frank Abagnale, “Catch Me If You Can”
June’s Upgrade Economics 101 Example #1 “Same Airline” In-Class Comfort Upgrade
Let’s look at a screenshot of two United flights nonstop from San Francisco to Maui. The first is a B777 with internationally configured 22-inch wide, lie-flat seats. The other, a B737 with a standard 20-inch wide seat with basic recline. In general, these flights cost about the same, depending on the day, yet simply knowing which flight has an internationally configured seat makes it an “in-class upgrade.” All it takes is a tiny bit of investigation for you to score the upgrade. More on that in a minute.
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“Professor Upgrade, how do you know which domestic flights are internationally configured?”
Good question, Frank Jr. Here’s the answer: You look at the cargo schedules. The routes are always changing so use the links below to find which routes currently offer the internationally configured aircraft.
See link to the most recent PDF:
In the middle of United’s cargo page. In the middle of American’s cargo page. In the middle of Delta’s cargo page.
These links show the routes with the wide-body aircraft. If there’s no nonstop option for your route with a wide-body aircraft, you want to connect via these flights if you can. Note that these internationally configured aircraft do move around, so be sure to always check your particular options and know they can change.
I’ll give that a stamp:
Different Airline In-Class Comfort Upgrade
Premium Economy to London
Fares are generally about the same for American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic in Premium Economy to London. The recline and legroom is also about the same, but the seat width is remarkably roomier with Virgin Atlantic, as you get a 21-inch wide seat – the same as Delta’s Business Class on many routes – instead of flying in American’s 18.5- to 19-inch wide Premium Economy seats. If you’re not petite, you’ll love Virgin!
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June’s Upgrade Economics 101 Example #3 Different Airline In-Class Comfort Upgrade Emirates vs United to Dubai
Emirates has an awesome First Class cabin on their A380, but not so on their Business Class. Emirates Business Class seat is 18.5 inches wide on its A380s while United’s B777 is 22 inches wide. Fares are pretty much the same, although from time to time we see United go on sale for a thousand or two less, which would make it a double upgrade!
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So again, if seat comfort is important to you, the United seat is the clear winner when you compare the two matched products. As is so often the case, flyers who have the greatest intel get the win.
How do I compare seats on my own? While these sites’ data isn’t always updated, here are a few to look up seat dimensions:
Seat Guru Seat Maps American United Emirates Virgin Atlantic
See you up front — in the better seats than otherwise, of course.