Upgrades to Israel

My family will be traveling to Israel this summer. Two of us will go early and we will be met by the other three. We would like to upgrade two of the seats to business class. We have American Express mileage. Any suggestions?
Judy

Dear Judy,

The first step I recommend for you is to go to the American Express Airline Award site to determine which airline will offer you the best combination of routing and award upgrades. Once you find an airline that might fit the bill, call the airline and check on the availability for upgrades for your flight dates. If you run into trouble with availability from the airlines, call the membership service department at American Express to intercede and apply pressure on the airline to open the seats for you.

I also recommended that you check with American Express and see if they are offering any two-for-one companion or upgrade specials. On occasion, and with certain American Express cards (usually the Platinum Card—you can ask to have your card upgraded) you can purchase a full-fare coach ticket and get a free companion ticket as well as upgrades, to business or first class.

Enjoy your trip.