Joel,

I plan to travel from the state to Singapore with Singapore Air, and I do like to request an upgrade. There are two questions: one, I have a Star Alliance gold card with Lufthansa, so can it have some leverage with Singapore Air? Second, how can I request an upgrade with them, because years ago, when I requested an upgrade, the staff in Singapore were very rude. Another option is to fly from Canada, so, are the upgrade criterions in Air Canada "basically" the same as in the States or different?

Thank you very much for answering.

Dear Shay,

Indeed, it seems that many of the international carriers do not understand the American concept of competition. Especially the key concept that "customer is king." The case with employees of many foreign carriers is a cultural issue. In most instances the employees are very rules-oriented and reluctant to deviate beyond what the ticket says. On one occasion, I had an agent with British Air bellow at me that I must be crazy to think she would dole out an upgraded seat. So the point here is to try and do as much pre-planning as possible. You have the advantage being a gold member with Lufthansa, and a member in the star alliance. You might try United, which also is a member airline of the star alliance and which typically can be a little more understanding about upgrades. Further, even if you fly on United you will still earn base mileage for gaining elite status. Basically, my advice is persistence and leveraging your loyalty.

Good luck,
Joel