FAREWELL AND GOODBYE

I have moved house!

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HOW TO SCORE AN UPGRADE ON YOUR FLIGHT

So, after all these years of flying, one thing that does happen from time to time is the complimentary upgrading of passengers from economy to business class. Airlines have to resort to this because overbooking is very common and it is also an acceptable practice to sell more seats than what you actually have on the plane due to no-show passengers.

There are various methods of scoring an upgrade and some of these tips will also come from my days working in Cathay as a ground staff. Of course I have to add that nothing is foolproof or guaranteed and pretty much everything is down to a huge amount of luck on that given day and flight, but follow these tips and you'll be definitely on your way!

1. Dress up

This is the first point and definitely the most important and crucial point of all. If anything, if you turn up at check-in dressed in slippers and shorts, there's no way you will get the upgrade regardless of the flight situation. Business Class is a premium after all and while we don't have any issues of passengers buying a business class ticket and coming on board dressed shoddily, it is still highly discouraged. While working in Cathay, my supervisors will always ask us to look out for passengers who are WD - this famous code meaning 'well-dressed' and offer an upgrade when necessary. Jeans, shoes and collared t-shirt is probably the bare minimum in such cases.

2. Arrive early to check-in

The supervisors at the check-in desk would have analysed the flight situation before check-in opens and assessed whether upgrading will be necessary and pass the message on to the check-in agents. On average, we usually look to upgrade between 5-20 passengers depending on the situation, and once that quota is hit then no more upgrades will be entertained. Therefore, quite obviously, it pays to be the early bird. HOWEVER, I have to add a disclaimer here - the situation can sometimes change in an instant and there have been cases, though rare, that passengers who have checked in very late that scored the upgrade instead.

3. Book a flight that will be full

Needless to say, this will be extremely tricky and it is all down to being on the right flight at the right time. An empty flight is a no-brainer and the only chance you can score an upgrade on such flights is through connections with the cabin crew or pilots (and even so, this is not always guaranteed) Otherwise, there is absolutely no incentive to upgrade an economy passenger to business on an empty flight; the airline does not gain anything. 

4. Budget travellers - pay for add-ons

This point only applies to passengers on budget airlines which offer both economy and business class (I shall not name any airlines but out of Singapore there are only two such carriers so go figure!) From my experience, economy passengers who have been upgraded purchased extra leg room / in-flight meals, entertainment which were included in their ticket. There is more incentive for the ground agents to upgrade such passengers because meals, for example, would have been catered for already and this will in turn be less work to pass on to the catering staff and cabin crew to uplift more meals.

5. Don't request special meals

Passengers who have requested special meals due to dietary restrictions like kosher meals, vegetarian meals, diary-free meals etc. will most likely not get the upgrade. In business class, the meals are of a higher standard and most airlines will not want a situation where a passenger is indulging in cavier and foie gras and another passenger beside him is having a simple vegetarian meal. This does not look good on the company and shows inconsistent standards.

There you go! Five essential travel tips that may make your journey a more pleasant one! All have been tested and proven to work so best of luck and bon voyage.

BACK FOR GOOD

People of the world! I am finally back after the longest break and it feels good to be writing once again! No, I have not closed down this space yet so don't fret for now! I know you guys love all my wonderful updates but it's been the craziest and busiest 3-4 months of the year so far. Well first up, my promotion is more or less settled and it's been a long journey to get where I am today but thank God I made it through everything. Starting my new post end October and what it entails is probably slightly less flying (replaced with admin days in the office) and more time at home. Not that I don't enjoy flying but after almost four years it is definitely time to be in Singapore more often because it seems I'm hardly even around and it does kills me sometimes.

Had a couple of short trips in June which I will share with you all. First up is a 5-days Philippines trip to Manila, Cebu and Bohol. It's actually my second time in this country and I enjoyed myself thoroughly!

 

 Addicted to this fast food place called BONCHON CHICKEN! It is seriously the most wicked

chicken! And best dessert in the world - HALO HALO. Essentially it is their local version of ice kacang but with traditional items like coconut, yam and corn.  

There's always room for churros with chocolate sauce! Don't ask me what I am doing in a local cemetery. It's just endless rows and rows of crosses in a massive plot of land. The next day, it was rise and shine very early in the morning to climb Taal Volcano which is about an hour away from the city. Nah, of course I didn't ride the horse. Lovely, breathtaking scene to behold. Off to Bohol the next day, which is a 2-hour boat ride from Manila. Bohol is a small city which is only famous for two things. First up is the Chocolate Hills, and contrary to the name there is actually none of the saccharine stuff on these hills but more so aptly named because they resemble chocolate. DUH.

Secondly, Bohol is also known for the tarsier, which is an endangered animal that looks like, I don't know, a cross between a monkey and the devil. They are actually very small in size, it was hard to
locate them on the trees.

 

Next up, had a magical roster that brought me to Osaka for one whole week! How exciting (and surprising) that was! So took the chance and off to Universal Studios Japan!  

Final verdict - tons better than the small Universal Studios in Singapore, definitely not as big as the one in US, but overall very worth my time and money. Awesome rides, great company, rollercoaster screaming Japanese kids and not that I mind but also a big hole in my pocket!

FADE INTO DARKNESS

Geez, I know I should be writing more often but everything's just been so crazy recently! Hardly even at home and going out every single day; can safely say I'm really living it up and lapping up every moment! Work's been a little messy though; can't say too much in here but there's a lot of issues with my pay recently and my promotion is still going through the motions so nothing's confirmed as yet. Other than that, rosters have been extremely awesome so I'm really satisfied with that; much more overnight allowances because flights are no longer daily trips and thus more time to explore many cities instead of the usual pattern of just staying for one night. 5 DAYS IN OSAKA COMING UP SOON!

Haven't actually mentioned much about my Europe trip so here's a few highlights of that vacation; there's close to a thousand photos so I don't wanna make this blog hang!

LONDON

Off to Emirates for Arsenal vs Villa

By far, my favourite city of the whole trip. Second time in London and it's one of the loveliest places in the world. Vibrant city with so much to do, warm people, great shopping and of course take your pick from the endless soccer games available every weekend.

PARIS

Eiffel Tower

My least favourite city of the lot; people say Paris is a very romantic place full of love and passion. Oh spare me the wishy-washy please, Paris is the most dead city in Europe. People are hardly friendly, the food is just terrible and in a nutshell the whole city is a dead town from dusk till dawn. Don't see myself stepping into Paris ever again.

I was, however, very fascinated by this bridge which housed a huge collection of couple locks. These locks have been put in place by many couples pledging their love for each other with names and dates.

SWITZERLAND

My one and only problem with this country.. it's just way too bloody expensive. A simple McDonalds meal costs $15 and that, my friend, is beyond absurd. Everything is so pricy, you just wonder if it's made of gold. Sad to say, I couldn't fully enjoy myself because I didn't expect things to be that costly and I didn't bring enough with me. But given the chance, I would like to come back here someday when I'm really fully loaded.

freezing in the mountains in Lucerne!

 

MILAN

Milan was simply just a stopover for all of us to load up on our Prada and Gucci for friends and family. It is a branded goods paradise; pity I don't fancy spending so much on such items and that's why I prefer the more casual and chic factory outlets in London.

BARCELONA

Last stop for me and it was one of the highlights too because another stadium visit!

 

NOU CAMP BABY!

All in all - a very memorable first trip round Europe, however I still maintain that USA is much better and hopefully that's where I'm headed end of the year! Vegas, San Fran, LA and New York!

Had a very impromptu BBQ session with a few colleagues on a lazy Tuesday night. Didn't even need to book a pit because East Coast Park is as dead as ever, lol.

The delectable cancer-causing food

 

  









I guess that's just one huge aspect of my life I will find it hard to give up if I move on from this job - the freedom to stay out late on weekdays and sleep in on my off days. Someday I will have to move on but 3.5 years and still going strong, so no complaints here!