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Chennai Man's 'Free Travel Hack': Politeness Lands Two Flight Upgrades
M
Moneycontrol•01-10-2026, 15:23
Chennai Man's 'Free Travel Hack': Politeness Lands Two Flight Upgrades
- •Narayanan Hariharan, a Chennai-based traveler, secured two flight seat upgrades on the same journey by being polite to airline staff.
- •Hariharan initially moved from seat 27B to an emergency row (14F) by politely asking at the check-in counter, then to 1F at the boarding gate.
- •He believes his success stemmed from staff appreciating a pleasant interaction amidst dealing with often-grumpy passengers.
- •Travel experts suggest asking at the boarding gate can be effective as agents have better visibility of last-minute seat availability due to no-shows or changes.
- •While politeness can help, upgrades are not guaranteed and depend on factors like seat availability, airline policies, and frequent-flyer status.
Key Questions Answered
Narayanan Hariharan secured two free seat changes by being polite, smiling, using staff names, inquiring about their day, and politely asking at both the check-in counter and the boarding gate.
Travel experts note that gate agents have greater visibility of no-shows, last-minute schedule changes, and unsold premium seats as departure time approaches, giving them more flexibility to reallocate seats.
No, being polite does not guarantee a free upgrade. Seat changes depend on multiple factors, including seat availability, airline policies, operational requirements, frequent-flyer status, and staff discretion.
