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A simple conversation with airport staff helped a Chennai-based man get not one, but two seat upgrades without spending any extra money. Narayanan Hariharan shared his experience on X, explaining that he first asked a staff member her name and how her day was going before politely requesting a seat change.
His original seat was 27B, but he was moved to 14F, an emergency-row seat with more legroom.
He Tried The Same Approach At The Gate
Hariharan did not stop after the first upgrade. He decided to try the same approach again while boarding his Air India Express flight. “Tried the same thing at the boarding gate; flew in 1F,” Narayanan added.
He also explained why he believed being polite helped him get the changes. “The staff deal with tired, grumpy passengers all day. One person being nice
is easy to say yes to,” he added.
Hariharan shared screenshots of both his original online boarding pass and the upgraded pass he received at the gate to show the changes.
Passengers Share Their Own Airport Experiences
His post has received over 39k views, with several users sharing stories of their own interactions with airport staff. One person recalled speaking with a CISF personnel at a security checkpoint and said the conversation appeared to make the officer happy.
“He seemed so happy that someone finally spoke to him about something other than ‘yeh bhi nikalna hai?’” the user wrote.
Another user claimed that check-in staff may sometimes agree to upgrade passengers when seats are available.
“Almost all check-in crew are happy to give a free upgrade if asked nicely and if the seats are available. I had got it one time with at least 15 people behind me in line,” the user said.
Free travel hack: Being nice.
Was assigned 27B on my flight today. Smiled, used her name, enquired about her day, and politely requested at the check-in counter – moved to emergency row (14F). Tried the same thing at the boarding gate – flew in 1F.
The staff deal with tired,… pic.twitter.com/4NBSiK0rtI
— Narayanan Hariharan (@narayananh) September 28, 2026
Seat Availability Still Matters For Upgrades
While Hariharan’s experience shows what happened in his case, being polite does not guarantee an upgrade. Whether a passenger can be moved to another seat depends on available seats and the airline’s rules.
His experience, however, has started a discussion around how passengers interact with airport staff. For Hariharan, a friendly approach at the counter and again at the boarding gate resulted in two seat changes without paying extra.
The experience also led other travellers to share their own examples of how a little courtesy can sometimes make airport interactions easier.
Disclaimer: This article is based on user-generated content. The claims made in the original post have not been independently verified by News18.
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