28 June 2023 , 09:26
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The seat you book on a flight determines how likely you are to get an upgrade, a cabin crew member has claimed.
Flight attendant Cierra Mistt shares some of her best "travel tips, tricks and secrets" that she's learned during her time in the air on her TikTok channel @cierra_mistt.
According to the aviation pro holidaymakers sitting in the last row have more chances of being upgraded to first class, the Daily Express reported.
"One thing the airlines don't want you to know is that the majority of the flights we have to move people for weight and balance purposes," she explained.
"That being said, if you want to fly first class and not have to pay for it, I highly suggest that you choose sitting in the last row.
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Cierra suggested sitting in a certain spot (cierra_mistt / Instagram)
Cierra shared the travel advice on TikTok (cierra_mistt / Instagram)"Because if we do have to move people for weight and balance purposes, that's where the flight attendants are going to go."
In a previous video, she explained that often passengers are moved to the front for rebalancing purposes rather than because cabin crew are feeling generous.
"When we move people all the way up to the front it's not just because we are being nice, but normally if our flight is full we have to move people for weight and balance purposes," she said.
While getting a tap on the shoulder from a flight attendant offering you a free upgrade is the thing of commercial air travel dreams, sometime such a tap can be followed by a sinking feeling.
Picture this; you're on the plane, you've settled into your plane seat, when suddenly a fellow passenger appears and politely asks if you can switch seats so they can sit with their children/partner/friends. Do you switch?
In recent years it's become a point of contention for many passengers who feel it is not okay to be asked to give up your reserved spot.
Kristie Koerbel has been a member of cabin crew for over 20 years and believes that there is no obligation to switch if you don't want to.
Should you give up your seats? (Getty Images/iStockphoto)"I’m going to be unpopular here. No, you do not have to switch with someone who asks you," she told the Irish Times.
"If you have paid extra for your seat, or even if it is just an inconvenience, you can kindly say no. If it is advantageous, like trading a middle seat for a window seat, or you are happy to help, please go ahead and swap."
Although passengers are entitled to the seats they booked, that doesn't stop others from trying their luck - and getting annoyed if the answer is no.
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One man recently revealed he ended up having an awkward journey after refusing to switch seats so a honeymooning couple could sit together.
Taking to Reddit to see if people agreed with his decision, he explained that he was in a window seat, when the couple asked if he could switch so they could sit together.
He wrote: "They asked me if they can change seats with me to which I politely refused and gave them my reasons. One of the reasons was my size and aisle traffic.
"I always get bumped by someone when I am on the aisle seat. One time, my elbow was badly hurt because the trolley hit me. I [have] avoided the aisle seat ever since."
Despite fellow passengers also urging him to switch, he says that he "didn't budge", meaning that "all the people around me, including the crew, looked like they hate me".