A Seat Next to Husband

I just started reading your column and am quite excited about the tips you have to offer.

I also have a question with which you may be able to help me out. I recently decided to tag along with my husband on an upcoming business trip to Australia. He will be traveling business class and I will be traveling coach.

Is there any way that I can get a seat next to him in business without breaking my budget?

Any advice would be helpful!

Ms. Aziz

Hi Ms. Aziz,

I don’t blame you for wanting to be in business class, that’s a long flight.

A few suggestions I have include: check if your husband’s fare qualifies for a companion upgrade. Some fares in business class allow this while some even include a free companion business class seat, especially if purchased with an American Express card. You can also ask the gate agent at the airport to upgrade you for a nominal fee, in many cases when the gate agents see that you're traveling together in separate cabins they’ll upgrade the person in the lower cabin, if space is available.

As a last resort, switch tickets with your husband—I am sure that will give him a lot of goodwill with you.

Thank you for reading my columns.

Joel