Moving On Up To First Class

[cpnews]

One positive trend since January has been the steady drop in airline prices and luxury hotel rooms. Naturally, if people lose their jobs or think a layoff is coming, the travel budget is a natural choice to chop. As the economy has continued to worsen, businesses have also cut their travel budget, which means there is plenty of room in first and business class on prime flights (NYC>London, NYC>LAX). As a result, airlines have restarted their upgrade programs, allowing coach customers to pay extra cash or trade in frequent flier miles to move on up to the front of the plane. This is in stark contrast to 2007-08, when fuel prices were high and planes were so packed that the chance to upgrade was virtually nil. If you have managed to squeeze in a trip or two, keep your ears open at the gate and you may just score some additional comfort and service on the cheap. [WSJ]