It seems a free  upgrade will no longer be the preserve of the well-connected, bolshy or randomly  lucky airline traveller.Various airlines are now launching online  upgrade auctions that allow passengers with economy tickets to take part in a  blind bid for available business class seats in advance of their  flight.

Austrian Airlines followed Air New Zealand,  El Al of Israel, Etihad of Abu Dhabi and Virgin Atlantic in becoming the latest  carrier last week to start auctioning upper-class seats to economy  passengers.

Plusgrade has developed technology to  enable  the blind bidding – and the U.S. software developer which is  based in New York  claimed it is speaking to several other airlines about working with  them.

The company’s chief  executive Ken Harris said: ‘The concept came from the fact that if a flight  leaves from London to New York right now and no-one is sitting in seat 2A, that  seat would be lost forever.

He told MailOnline: ‘We’re  definitely seeing a lot of rapid adoption by more and more airlines.’

Mr Harris went on to say  that the idea should not put off business travellers from buying luxury seats  upfront because ‘you’re going to want that peace of mind that you’re sitting in  the upper level’.

He added that Plusgrade is  working on a project with El Al, ‘where you can bid for an extra seat next to  you – a neighbour-free guarantee’. Mr Harris said: ‘Anyone who’s flown in  economy is really hoping that they’re the lucky one. They could ensure that by  paying a nominal fee.’

The business model works for carries trying  to generate extra revenue on  seats that would otherwise be unused, while trying  to avoid reducing  earnings from business travellers already paying full  fare.

On a flight where empty business class seats are  expected, a passenger  booking in economy will be offered an upgrade – but  airlines refuse to  state the average winning bid.

They are concerned that revealing  successful  bids would set a ‘price list’ that may result in current  business-class  passengers switching to economy, and then attempting to  bid for a better  seat.

Only  some passengers who currently have economy seats are invited to take part in the  auction, with a ‘host of internally-prioritised goals’ deciding who is eligible,  according to Plusgrade.

Auctions by Air New Zealand see bids placed  at least a week before departure, and its website suggests that an upgrade from  economy to premium economy on a London Heathrow to Auckland flight could cost  around £550 through an auction.

Source:jowhar