Lie-Flat for Less: The 7 Best Airlines for Cheap Business Class Upgrades

We have a ground rule: If you're set on flying business or first class, your best bet is to book that seat from the start. Banking on a cheap upgrade from your already cheap ticket is rarely a winning strategy.
But rules were made to be broken. A handful of airlines regularly offer reasonable upgrades to business class on overseas flights – whether you redeem some extra miles before departure or pay cold, hard cash. Think $600 each way, 50,000-some miles, or less – a fraction of what many of these seats typically cost.
Now let's be clear: It's never a sure thing. You might hope to see a reasonable upgrade offer from one of these airlines only to see an eye-popping price north of $3,000. But this (admittedly not-quite-exhaustive) list of airlines stands out for offering a cheaper path to a lie-flat seat.
Fair warning, though: If you're angling to score an upgrade, you'll want to avoid that booking that cheap basic economy ticket. Most airlines on this list block those fares from upgrades.
 

 
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus business class is one of the best ways to fly nonstop to Dublin or back. And upgrades from economy don't break the bank, either. 
Like several other airlines on this list, Aer Lingus sends out upgrade emails to economy passengers, putting empty business class seats up for bids. Offer what you're willing to pay at least five days before departure, and Aer Lingus will get back to you the day before your flight to let you know whether you're getting bumped up to these lie-flat seats. 
 

 
Read more:  5 Things I Loved Flying Aer Lingus Business Class (& 2 I Didn’t)
Here's the best part: We've heard from many travelers scoring some incredibly cheap upgrade rates lately of $400 to $500 each way – especially on the new route from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) . With far more business class seats to fill (and thus more likely to go out empty), your best bet for a cheap upgrade is on Aer Lingus routes operated by their larger Airbus A330 planes.
There's also an ironclad way to use Aer Lingus Avios to upgrade . But the rates of 37,000 Avios to 55,000 Avios seem too high to be worth it if you ask us. 
 
Air France/KLM 
Two names, one airline. Though they are out of Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Amsterdam (AMS), Air France and KLM are practically one and the same. They handle upgrades much the same, too … in a good way.
It's hit or miss, but we've seen both airlines selling upgrades to their business class seats from economy on long-haul flights to Europe for as low as $400 each way, which is about as good as it gets. Even upgrade rates of $600 or $700 aren't too shabby.
It's a small price to pay for a seat like this. 
 

 
Check out our full review of the new Air France business class !
The sweet spot is checking your reservation just days (if not hours) before departure on the airlines' site or app to see if there are any empty seats they're offloading at a discount. You can even waltz up to the gate before boarding and try your luck.
 
British Airways
Getting ready to hop across the pond? You've got a few options with British Airways. And while many other airlines on this list have varying upgrade charges, at BA, it's set in stone … kind of. 
For starters British Airways allows you to upgrade using their Avios mileage program with one big hitch: You can only upgrade by one cabin  – for example, from a paid premium economy seat to business class. That means you can't vault all the way from economy up to business class using British Airways miles. 
Let's say you're booked flying Premium Economy from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to London-Heathrow (LHR). That seat typically costs 26,000 Avios each way and business class is 50,000 Avios – or a bit more during peak periods. That means you could upgrade your premium economy seat to business class using another 24,000 Avios – so long as there's  award availability . 
The airline will tack on some extra taxes and fees but they're reasonable, typically $200 or less each way. And this method is available whether you initially booked your seat using cash or points.
Given that you'll end up paying over $900 in taxes and fees for a business class award flight on BA, the best strategy here is booking a cheap economy or premium economy seat in cash and upgrading with Avios later. 
 

 
You might also see some tantalizing upgrade offers in the British Airways app ahead of departure, though that's typically not an option if you booked an award ticket in the first place. 
 
Delta Air Lines
At a time when Delta regularly charges 400,000 SkyMiles or more for a business class seat, upgrading with cash (or SkyMiles) might just be the best way to score that Delta One seat. 
Delta makes it easier to upgrade your seat than virtually any other airline: If seats are open, you can pay your way to upgrade. But easy doesn't mean cheap. Cash rates are regularly north of $2,000 for a long-haul flight – and since the SkyMiles upgrade rates are tied to the cash price, that's 200,000 SkyMiles.
But heading into the spring, we noticed an undeniable trend: Upgrades on flights to Europe and even Asia were cheaper than … well, maybe ever, with many travelers scoring Delta One upgrades for just $500 or $600 within weeks – if not days – of departure.

Not one but two travelers flying separately from  Atlanta (ATL) to London-Heathrow (LHR) upgraded from economy to Delta One for $499 (or 49,900 SkyMiles)  per passenger 
Days before making the trip back home, one flyer snagged a Delta One upgrade from  Milan (MXP) to Atlanta (ATL) by paying just 44,900 SkyMiles
Flying back from  Amsterdam (AMS) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), members saw business class upgrades dip as low as $449 each
About a week before departure, one traveler just upgraded to Delta One Suites from  Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Seoul (ICN) for just $599 each

 

 
This is not a slam dunk – you're still probably more likely to see upgrade prices north of $1,000 or more.
Still, it's an undeniable trend with low upgrade rates on Delta more prevalent than in recent memory.  And that means it's worth double-, triple-, quadruple-, and even quintuple-checking your Delta flights in the weeks and days before a trip overseas.  While you might initially see eye-popping prices, the odds that the cost to upgrade falls below $1,000 (or half that) seem greater than ever.
Read more:  Upgrading is the Best (& Cheapest) Way to Book Delta One Business Class Now
 
Hawaiian Airlines
There's no better way to fly to paradise than at the front of the plane with Hawaiian Airlines – particularly if you luck out with one of the planes equipped with these fancy new Hawaiian Airlines first class suites.
 

 
Once again, you might be better off booking these seats from the start. The airline charges as low as just 40,000 miles for a one-way between the West Coast and Hawaii – and you can instantly transfer Amex Membership Rewards  or  Bilt points directly to Hawaiian miles.
But if you're already booked in economy, the airline offers not one but two ways to upgrade. So long as you didn't book a basic economy ticket , you can:

Upgrade to first class for as low as 25,000 miles between Hawaii and the mainland U.S., though that hinges on award availability – you might see upgrade rates of double that amount for a “flex” upgrade
You can also  bid for an upgrade up to 28 hours before departure. If your bid is accepted, you'll get an email 48 hours to 24 hours before departure.
Finally, day-of-departure upgrades may be available based on availability starting from $399 between the West Coast and Hawaii – and even more from other destinations in the mainland U.S.

 

 
Icelandair
A handful of airlines handle upgrades differently: Rather than charging a flat rate, they allow travelers to bid for an upgrade. And, you guessed it, the best seats go to the highest bidders.
Icelandair is one such airline. Sure, you can book the cushy Icelandair Saga Premium seats from the start – often for a bargain. But why not try to pair a cheap flight to Iceland with a cheap upgrade?
While these aren't full-blown lie-flat seats, they're much wider and more comfortable. Plus you get elevated dining, service, and even lounge access in Reykjavik (KEF).
 

 
Just how much it costs to bid for an upgrade can vary wildly. Don't be surprised to see starting bids as low as $250 or $300 … with the option of going up to close to $1,000 or more per passenger. 
Select how much you want to offer for your one-way upgrade, submit, and keep your fingers crossed! If your bid isn't accepted, no worries: You won't be charged. 
 

 
A few things to keep in mind for making these upgrade offers with Icelandair: 

If your flight is eligible, the opportunity to bid on an upgrade opens 10 days beforehand and closes 26 hours before departure
There's no cost to submit a bid, and you're off the hook if yours isn't accepted … but if you get it, you'll be charged the bid amount immediately
You'll be notified via email if your bid is accepted or not
Each bid is per segment and per passenger
If you've racked up a ton of Saga Points by flying with Icelandair, you can use them for these upgrades, too

At the very least, it doesn't hurt to submit the lowest bid. Worst case scenario? You don't get the upgrade. Best case? You're flying up front for cheap.
 
Emirates
Alright, this one is a bit of a misnomer. This isn't just about upgrading to Emirates business class but Emirates first class , too. You know, the one with the onboard bar and shower.
 

 
You'll want some Emirates miles, and they're easy to earn: Emirates is a transfer partner with all the major credit card companies . That means points from cards like the *chase sapphire preferred* or the *venture x* can instantly get you Emirates miles to upgrade.
You can upgrade from economy to business class or from business to first class – but not from economy all the way up to Emirates First. There are two ways to upgrade:

Emirates allows you to waitlist a business class or first class upgrade in advance … but if no more award seats open up (and they often don't), the request will be denied 48 hours before departure and your upgrade request will be canceled.
But on the day of departure, it's a (possible) free-for-all:  So long as there are still seats open in the first class cabin, you can use miles to upgrade at check-in, at the gate, or even once you board the plane!

Those day-of upgrades are the most reliable by far. Exactly how many miles these upgrades will cost you depends on your route, what kind of ticket you originally booked, and what cabin you're hoping to wind up in. 
You can check out those rates route-by-route using Emirates' miles calculator . If you ask us, the best option, by far, is upgrading from business class to first class:

New York City (JFK) to/from Milan (MXP):  39,000 miles (or 50,700 if you booked a  roundtrip saver award for 108,000 miles )
Newark (EWR) to/from Athens (ATH):  39,000 miles (or 50,700 if you booked a roundtrip saver award for 108,000 miles)
New York City (JFK) to/from Dubai (DXB):  70,200 miles
Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) to/from Dubai (DXB):  70,200 miles
Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to/from Dubai (DXB):  70,200 miles
Los Angeles (LAX)   to/from Dubai (DXB):  81,900 miles
San Francisco (SFO)  to/from Dubai (DXB):  81,900 miles

 

 
Read our full review of flying Emirates first class !
 
Bottom Line
Look, we still think your best bet for scoring a lie-flat seat is just booking that ticket in the first place – particularly if you've got credit card points or airline miles, as it may not cost you much at all.
But if you're lucky and focus on these airlines, you might luck out with a cheaper – maybe even dirt-cheap – upgrade offer to move to the front of the plane. May the odds ever be in your favor.