Travel upgrades are like the jackpots of travel. There is nothing more satisfying while traveling than hearing the words that you have been upgraded whether be it a first-class seat, hotel suite or car rental upgrade. There are also costs associated with them and other travel extras, but while you can often use loyalty points, miles or credit cards to receive an upgrade. So, here are some of the more common ways to upgrade business class travel and what you could expect to pay for them.
- Business-Class Upgrade
First-class upgrades are the best if travel upgrades are the jackpots of travel. But, business/first-class upgrades are also the costliest if you’re not using status, points or miles to upgrade. You have chances to get a flight upgrade on a short domestic flight, such as SFO to LAX or booking business class flights to India from USA. The first-class upgrade for a cross-country flight could be little but is typically much more on international flights. The further the distance of the flight, the more the first-class upgrade will cost. And keep in mind first upgrade your seats with that particular airline in which have your status.
- Premium Economy Upgrade
In recent years, Premium Economy is the term that has come to mean those seats that are located in the economy. These seats are often at the front of the aircraft and have perks like more comfortable seats, more legroom, and priority boarding. The fares in the premium economy are more than economy seats but significantly less than business class. A premium economy upgrade can be little but can be more on cross-country flights for domestic flights. It usually depends on the airline, perks, and distance of the flight for international flights.
- Hotel Suite Upgrade
Many major hotel brands often prioritize hotel room upgrades for elite members like airlines. But while there are often set rates for airline upgrades, it varies from hotel to hotel, night to night. Many of the major hotels offer room upgrades with points or based on status. If your flight is a delay in that case airlines are also offering the hotel accommodations to their passengers. And apart from that they also offer other business travel perks like any other transportation service.
- Expedited Travel Clearance
There are some things that are grateful like TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, CLEAR, and other expedited, line-beating airport services might not be as sexy as a hotel upgrade. The goal of all these services is to pre-approve for security and US customs measures by giving you your own dedicated and expedited line when you go through airport security at airports. The PreCheck, Global Entry, and CLEAR hold some money. Delta offers discounts for SkyMiles members, and complimentary membership for Diamond Medallion members, while some credit cards offer PreCheck and Global Entry for free.
- In-flight Wi-Fi
One of the luxury parts is in-flight Wi-Fi, now becoming an expectation on most flights. The rates vary but depend on the airline and length of the flight. If you just want to use your mobile to access Wi-Fi, then it can be as little as a couple dollars, while most in-flight plans depend on per day. Additionally, you can buy in-flight Wi-Fi packages that include all-day passes and monthly subscriptions. Gogo’s monthly plans for single airplane Wi-Fi and for multi-airline access are different.
Also Read: