I recently learned about the online service, “First Class Flyer.” The team at First Class Flier are the airfare upgrade specialists. They study airline sites, read the fine print, and discover great deals and last minute opportunities to secure discounted seats and free upgrades to Business and First Class.
Some of the discounts are rather spectacular and if flying First Class is part of your desired travel experience (and I would hope so!) it’s definitely worth considering.
Saving on “surfing” time
One of the problems with finding good deals and discounts for upgrades is the time you spend staring at your computer screen. As they say, time is money. For an upcoming trip to Europe I recently spent two days searching for fare discounts. First Class Flyer has people doing all that legwork for you. Hallelujah!!
Another benefit is the level of detail that’s provided. For example if you find a great upgrade deal on the First Class Flier site, the applicable airline availability codes are provided which you can simply pass on to your travel agent or airline reservationist. It’s all simply laid out and easy to access.
“Mr. Upgrade”
First Class Flyer has an interesting history. It was created 20 years ago by Matthew Bennett. He was a baseball pitcher with the Kansas City Royals farm team. Naturally, the team traveled a lot and Matt had a knack for finding his way around cheaply. He’d study airline schedules and fine-print minutiae to find the best options. Other team members quickly followed his lead and pretty soon they were all getting from A to B a lot more inexpensively. When you’re only given a certain amount of travel pay every week as a ball player – you have more money in your pocket!
Matthew is now called “Mr. Upgrade” and is regularly consulted by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast Traveler. First Class Flier is also independent of the airlines – they don’t take any kickbacks for favorable mentions.
Wimbledon Widget
One more thing on the topic of First Class Flyer, I loved their “Wimbledon Widget.” It’s basically a tool for luxury travelers. At a glance it looks like a calendar but there’s lots of travel information built in. You select your departure city and destination (in this case London of course) and whether you want to fly Business or First Class. You can immediately see seat availability on any given date, and when you roll the mouse over the date you get information such as what events are happening on that day at Wimbledon, or sightseeing ideas for London. Ingenious!
First Class Flyer says the widget will be available for world-class “bucket list” events such as the Bordeaux Wine Festival and the British Open golf tournament.
Try It Out For Yourself
With First Class Flyer, upgraded travel has never been so attainable (and you don’t have to forsake your dignity to do it). You owe it to yourself to discover how – visit First Class Flyer to sign up for a free 14-day test drive where you’ll get all the latest fare strategies delivered directly to your inbox. After 14 days, you can pay as little as $97 per year to continue getting these upgrade tips and tricks as the First Class Flier team finds them. Now that’s a luxury worth the splurge!
So don’t wait, sign up now and enjoy your next First Class experience.
Disclosure: Carmen’s Luxury Travel is a First Class Flyer affiliate.
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Sumti Bhadani
July 10, 2016 at 2:40 amNever heard of First class flyer but seems to be interesting. Would love to try it once
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:02 pmYou can sign up for free for a 14 day trial and check out the site. I think it’s worth every penny.
Fiona Maclean
July 10, 2016 at 4:56 amI love the look of the Eithad first class suite! Ah well – a girl can dream!
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:03 pmJust having those doors to close for added privacy sold me on it, and the bed is big enough for two people.
Grey World Nomads
July 10, 2016 at 10:29 amTo fly first class is so great, especially for long flights to another continent. I’d love to and will check out your added sites.
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:06 pmWe flew economy overseas once, and after that flight my husband said never again. I’ve spend countless hours researching first class flights on major airlines when we book travel. It’s wonderful to see that this site does all the leg work for you.
stephanie
July 10, 2016 at 10:59 amSome great websites here to find deals on first class travel. The apartment with Etihad looks so opulent, a million miles away from economy!
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:09 pmSome of these first class experiences seemed like they were never possible for us, but they are. I’ve used the site on a couple of occasions, and was amazed by how much money we saved. The best thing is they tell you what the codes are for you to book the flights yourself.
Claire
July 10, 2016 at 3:18 pmThanks for sharing, I’ve never heard of First Class Flyer! I’ve flown business a few times and love it. Would be cool to fly first class at least once in my life!
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:11 pmYou can use the site to upgrade to both Business and First Class. They provide you with all the tricks needed to find great fares.
Meg Jerrard
July 10, 2016 at 8:29 pmAmazing! It would be a dream to be one day upgraded to first or business class – I love that First Class Flyer has people doing all that legwork for you, because I haven’t yet been able to figure out the upgrade business!!
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:24 pmThat’s the best thing about First Class Flyer that they do all the work for you, and provide you with fares that most of us wouldn’t be able to find.
Mar Pages
July 10, 2016 at 11:44 pmI tried the Singapore Airlines ‘suites’ class before, and it was truly a luxurious and unforgettable experience. Although I don’t think I will ever pay full price for a first class upgrade, its great to know that First Class Flyer makes it more accessible!
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:30 pmI’m jealous just knowing you got to experience the suite class on Singapore Airlines. It must of been an amazing experience. First Class Flyer might help you experience that again.
Castaway with Crystal
July 11, 2016 at 7:35 amGreat tips! I’ve always wanted to try out first class but never have 🙁 I’ll have to try harder, he he.
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:32 pmIt’s a lot easier than most people think. It does take a lot of work to find a great fare, but First Class Flyer does all the work for you.
Jessica
July 11, 2016 at 10:45 amIt’s been my travel dream to experience an upgrade (who doesn’t want?) especially for 9-12 hour-flight or longer. I need to check it soon and who knows, I might get my first business class experience.
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 6:40 pmYes, please do check out the site. I saved a few thousand dollars on a business class flight I just booked overseas. They showed me how to upgrade and I was able to use some of my mileage points too.
Alex Datsev
July 11, 2016 at 2:18 pmGreat information! Will definitely check out these websites!
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 7:37 pmIt’s definitely worth spending some time on the site and seeing all the great fares you can get.
Claire
July 11, 2016 at 2:48 pmGreat tips, this sounds like an interesting service! I was put into first class on a plane in Central America for no real reason… everyone around me was dressed very posh and I was a right scruff!
Carmen Edelson
July 11, 2016 at 7:38 pmWe try to dress up a little when we travel business, but if I was flying overseas I prefer to be comfortable.
anto
July 11, 2016 at 4:15 pmI was upgraded twice and that left me hungry for more. Thanks for the tips, I can’t believe some of these pics were actually taken on a plane, they look awesome!
Carmen Edelson
July 13, 2016 at 10:30 amSome airlines have really up their game when it comes to first class and business travel.
Izzy
July 11, 2016 at 10:22 pmThis is concept I have come across over the years but never fully understood. First class flyer, what a travel hack. I might have to save this post for that honeymoon, I think it would be amazing to fly first class as part of the whole honeymooning package!
Carmen Edelson
July 13, 2016 at 10:33 amThe website lets you in on all the secrets needed to upgrade your fare. Flying First Class for your honeymoon would be amazing.
sher
July 12, 2016 at 12:17 amgreat tips! i love google flights – that’s definitely my newest flight booker.
Sher
www.shershegoes.com
Carmen Edelson
July 13, 2016 at 10:34 amI use google flights too, it’s a great tool for searching what’s available on all of the airlines.
Hang Around The World
July 12, 2016 at 4:26 amI mean… There is a little bit of difference between the first class and the other ones… But your advice is really great 🙂
Carmen Edelson
July 13, 2016 at 10:43 amIt’s very true, once you add the seat assignment fee, and the luggage sometimes the different between a regular fare and business can be only $100 if you’re lucky.
Toccara
July 12, 2016 at 10:46 amWhat an awesome service! I’ve never even bothered looking for first class airfare, because I assume it’s always been out of my budget. It’s great that a service like First Class Flyer does the searching for you. I was also upgraded to first class once for giving up my seat on an earlier flight… and boy would I love to fly first class again!!
Carmen Edelson
July 13, 2016 at 10:46 amOnce you have traveled on First Class in those extra wide seats, and experienced a delicious meal it’s hard to go back to economy where they only give you a bag of peanuts if you are lucky.
Marge Gavan
July 16, 2016 at 8:18 pmNice tricks! I am a budget traveler but I’d be lying if I say I don’t want to experience flying first class. Maybe I can do this when I finally go to abroad. I am planning to visit my friend in the States next year, who knows, maybe I could go there via first class flight hahaha…
Carmen Edelson
July 16, 2016 at 8:25 pmEven a budget traveler can experience a little first class experience at least once in your life. This site is excellent and its helps me save tons of money on flights.
Chelsea Brady
July 25, 2016 at 2:51 pmDreaming of first class has always been a high of mine. Although I haven’t experienced it on Etihad Airline, it has been such a great experience!
Carmen Edelson
August 3, 2016 at 9:33 amOnce you have travel on first class and experienced all the food they serve and the cosy seats it’s hard to travel any other way. A lot of airlines are cutting prices making it more affordable for people to experience first class.
melbtravel
August 25, 2016 at 7:26 amThis is such a great idea, I have been travelling for nearly 20yrs and I never heard of this company. Thank you for sharing and I am definitely going to take a look at them.
www.melbtravel.com
Carmen Edelson
August 26, 2016 at 4:33 pmWe travel all the time and it has saved us a lot of money, especially when we get upgraded to First Class.
Shearly
September 15, 2016 at 4:16 pmOMG I NEED TO GO FIRST CLASS NEXT TIME! This post just sold me, I can’t wait to try this service!
Carmen Edelson
September 15, 2016 at 8:21 pmYou are going to love it! They send you flyers with up to the latest minute deals.
Mark An
March 9, 2019 at 12:33 amHey Carmen,
Just wanted to let you know we will be soon travelling via first class. You have given us a good set of notes to look out for. We havent tried the first class flyer yet. So lets see how it goes and will let you know.
Carmen Edelson
March 13, 2019 at 6:07 pmI hope you have a fantastic time, Mark!
jeny
May 18, 2020 at 11:09 ammy dream
Carmen Edelson
May 18, 2020 at 7:29 pmOne day!