New app allows passengers to bid for last-minute upgrades on planes

Passengers will soon be able to win upgrades to business and first class seats on planes shortly before departure by entering a bidding war on their phones.

Seatfrog already allows rail travellers on Virgin Trains’s east coast line to bid for last-minute upgrades, starting from £5, but now the groundbreaking app is set to launch in the air.

Iain Griffin, the man behind the app, says he's in talks with “several major carriers” and hopes to launch in early 2018. Given his existing connection with Virgin Trains, Virgin Atlantic may well be among the partners. It's "a great brand", he says.

Griffin, whose company launched the train auction app in September, said the starting price for air travel upgrades would be higher than the £5 for train seats but still “accessible”.

He said: “It obviously depends on the duration of the flight - an upgrade for a flight to, say, Sydney is going to cost more than flying from London to Paris.”

The app will work in the same way the rail version has, with users able to scope out upgrade possibilities on their flight then submit bids for an auction that starts six hours before the departure time.

Passengers will then find out if they've been successful at least 30 minutes before departure.

“It’s the perfect antidote for a time when travelling is at its most stressful, is becoming increasingly convoluted with rules and regulations, can and can’t dos,” the app’s promotional material states.

Griffin says he was inspired to expand into airline by researching the huge numbers of first and business class seats that lay empty on flights. Figures show that 37 million premium class seats on the top 30 airlines are left empty each year.

Seatfrog also has plans to expand into the European rail network, said Griffin. 

Though a third party app allowing users to bid for upgrades is new, a number of airlines already offer similar services.

Low-cost airline Norwegian offers travellers on its long-haul economy fares the chance to bid to join its premium rows on its Dreamliner 787s. Passengers can bid up to 36 hours before the departure time, at which point the successful bid will be notified.

Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad also runs upgrade auctions, as well as allowing passengers the opportunity to bid for neighbouring seats to remain empty.

Virgin Atlantic already offers a “bid for an upgrade” service, too, on “selected flights to all our destinations”.

“With or new Neighbour-free seat concept, you can enjoy up to triple the space and comfort by bidding for one, two or three neighbouring seats, which will stay vacant for the duration of your journey,” the airline says.

How can I get a free upgrade?

1. Choose your route carefully

Most upgrades will be offered for “operational reasons”, such as when the economy class cabin is full or oversold, but the premium cabins are not. Therefore travelling on a busy route, where this is more likely to occur, will help. Flights to beach resorts during the school holidays, when the majority of fellow passengers will be families, are a good bet. Monday morning flights to Frankfurt – not so much.

2. Be loyal, and pay more for your ticket

Regular customers will normally be given priority when an upgrade is available.

“It is sometimes necessary to upgrade customers,” said a BA spokesman. “This is rare and will normally apply to frequent flyers who are members of our loyalty programme first.”

A spokesman for Lufthansa said: “Passengers who paid more for their tickets are more likely to be upgraded than passengers who bought a discounted ticket. The frequent flier program status is also taken into account.”

Research by Expedia found that airlines often sort out their upgrades the day before the flight, looking for regular fliers, businessmen or women, and celebrities, who may fly with them again if given an upgrade. Ordinary folk with the same name as a celebrity might even catch a lucky break.

3. Travel alone

If there are just one or two seats available up front, they will probably be offered to single travellers first. 

4. Just ask

Four per cent of those questioned in a MoneySavingExpert.com poll said they had received a free upgrade by simply asking for one at the check-in desk. 

However, as outlined above, Expedia says that free upgrades are rarely given at the check-in desk, or when boarding, as they will have already have been sorted some 24 hours earlier. A Virgin Atlantic spokesman, meanwhile, said it does not give upgrades to anyone who requests one.

Still, that doesn't mean it's not worth mentioning that you might fancy a first class seat if there was one knocking about. You've nothing to lose. But give some thought as to how you're going to explain your desire. The Virgin Atlantic spokesman told Telegraph Travel not all requests are entirely convincing...

Don't attempt the following (all heard by Virgin staff):

“Manchester United lost today, I am really upset and need the space to get over it.”

“My wife is pregnant – I need an upgrade as it is a really stressful time for me.”

“My newborn baby has claustrophobia, we really need an upgrade so she has more space”

“I am Sir Richard Branson’s dentist.”

“I have lost all of my money in Vegas but really need an upgrade.”

“It’s a Sunday. No-one flies on a Sunday, so please can I have an upgrade?”

5. Have a good reason

If you’ve got a more genuine reason than those listed above, such as being exceptionally tall, pregnant, or even celebrating a honeymoon, birthday, or anniversary, it will go in your favour. A Lufthansa spokesman said “it never hurts to ask”, and offering a reason such as these “would certainly improve your chances”.

6. Be nice

It goes without saying that the lucky few who have received an upgrade after requesting one were polite, and probably smartly dressed. They didn’t demand one.

7. Be unlucky

If you’ve got a faulty entertainment system, or a chair that won’t recline, you’ve got good reason to complain, particularly if you're on a long-haul flight. You may simply be moved to another economy class seat, but if none are free... Equally, if you’ve got a legitimate grievance against another passenger – harassment, for example – you could ask to be relocated.

8. Be a VIP or know someone at the airline

The Virgin spokesman added that: “There is an upgrade list at check in (this could be journalists, travel industry VIPs, etc) and all these upgrades are agreed in advance and signed off at head office.” So if you have a good friend who works for an airline, it can’t hurt to ask, but get in touch as soon as you know the details of your flight.