The Magic Words:
Nabbing a Better Seat
“Do you have any of those day-of-travel standby upgrades available?”
According to Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com, a number of airlines fill empty first- or business-class seats on North American routes by selling last-minute upgrades for, say, $25 to $75. Some airlines base the price on the number of flight segments, while others vary the charge according to the number of miles flown. Not long ago, Parsons upgraded his family on an Aeroméxico flight from Dallas to Cancún for $50 per person.
“I’d like to invoke Rule 240.”
If your domestic flight is delayed or canceled and it’s the airline’s fault (e.g., the problem is mechanical rather than weather related), cite Rule 240—it’s the section of the airline’s contract of carriage that details what the carrier must do for you if a flight doesn’t take off as scheduled. Each airline’s Rule 240 is slightly different, but most require that you be put on the next available flight, even if it’s on another airline, and, depending on the length of the delay, that you be provided free hotel accommodations and meal vouchers. Before heading to the airport, print out a copy of the carrier’s Rule 240 (find it at www.mytravelrights.com, in the “Travel Law” section) and carry it with you. Since many agents are unaware of the rules or won’t automatically offer to put you on a different airline, you may have to ask them to do it.
And it helps to use insider lingo. Here’s what Peter Greenberg, author of The Travel Detective: Flight Crew Confidential (Random House, $16), suggests you do if your flight is delayed or canceled. Don’t wait with everyone else who needs rerouting, he says. “While you’re standing in the world’s longest line, all your flight options are taking off without you.” Instead, call your airline’s reservations number and ask which carrier has the next flight to your destination. “Say it’s Delta flight 906. Go to a supervisor at a different counter and say, ‘Can you please 240 me over to Delta flight 906?’”
Getting a Free Ticket
“Do you need volunteers to be bumped?”
Booked on an oversold flight and have time to kill? If you don’t mind leaving later in exchange for a free ticket, don’t wait until the gate agent calls for volunteers to give up their seats. Offer yourself the minute you arrive at the gate, so your name is first on the agent’s list. If they do ultimately need volunteers, be sure to ask, “Will you provide a confirmed seat on the next flight?” so as not to end up a stranded standby.
If you’re stuck in coach, remember that just because you were assigned a seat doesn’t mean you have to live with it. If your flight isn’t full, ask the check-in or gate agent if there is space in an emergency-exit row, which typically has extra legroom. Because those seats are rarely assigned in advance, they are frequently available an hour or two before the flight. “Do you have a seat next to an empty seat?” is the way to get more elbowroom; it helps to add that you need to get a lot of work done during the flight.
Getting the Right Room
“Can you fax me a floor plan or a property map?”
When you’re headed to a beach resort, a European palace hotel, or any historic or one-of-a-kind property where the accommodations can differ considerably, even within the same category, a schematic may reveal each room’s pros and cons (which is most secluded, which is most convenient, which has a larger balcony). Definitely request a particular room or particular attributes; make no requests and you’ll get whatever is left over after everyone else’s have been filled. Ask “Exactly what will fill my line of sight?” and “What is the square footage?” to discover view obstructions and room size. You don’t need magic words if you can befriend the magic person—which in this case is the on-site reservations manager. “Which rooms are the most popular and why?” can start an enlightening conversation leading to “Which is your personal favorite and why?” By now the reservations manager is your buddy, increasing the chances that you’ll get the room you request and perhaps even an upgrade.
Getting an Upgrade
“Are you running any incentives at the desk today?”
Let’s say you reserved a standard room but decide at check-in that you would prefer an oceanfront suite if you can get a deal. At off-peak times, says Cottrill, “hotel managers create incentives to drive revenue,” enabling front-desk staff to give out upgrades for a nominal fee that may be negotiable. “Hotels do not like rooms to go unsold—especially those with premium views,” he explains. “Hoteliers want you to be happy, because happy guests spend more money. So you can say, ‘I’m willing to pay a small additional amount. What could you offer me that would be of value?’”
“We’re on our honeymoon.”
If you’re celebrating a special occasion, let the manager know about it. Well-run hotels want to make anniversaries and the like memorable so you’ll tell all your friends and return for future occasions. Not celebrating anything? In modern city hotels, the best rooms are often on the highest floor. So consider “I’d like a room on one of the top floors” as one of your requests. Should some superior high-floor rooms become available—thus allowing the front desk to hand out complimentary upgrades—you’ll be among the first in line.
Complaining When You Don’t Get What You Asked For
“That’s unacceptable.”
This is your route out of just about any hotel screwup, as long as you say it politely and with a solution in mind, and as long as the hotel is in the business of keeping customers happy. “It’s a three-step tango,” says Morri Berman, a senior partner with the international communications firm Fleishman-Hillard, who logs 150,000 miles a year. “You say, ‘This ain’t gonna work.’ They say, ‘Sorry—that’s all I can do.’ You ask to speak with the manager and say, ‘What you’re offering me is just not acceptable.’” At hotel front desks, as a general rule never accept a no from someone who isn’t empowered to give you a yes in the first place.