You know the look-that one of haughty derision shot your way as you board a airplane and are forced to do a walk of shame past the first class passengers as they suck down champagne and warm nuts whilst you’re left to vie for the last overhead room and a free armrest in coach.

You envy them, but you’d never pay the outrageous price to sit in a just a bit bigger seat. However, what you may not know is that a myriad of of those people in first class snagged their seats for less money than you paid for your ticket in steerage.

Truth be told, there are a myriad of ways—some obvious, a number of not—to fly first class excluding paying for it, and here are a few of the best.

Achieve Elite status

The best way to get all the free first-class flights your little heart desires is to reap elite status on your airline of choice. U.S. airlines are very generous (at least in comparison to foreign carriers) when it comes to free upgrades to first class for their most valued customers, the elite fliers. Continental/United, Delta, Alaska and U.S. Airways all propose complimentary domestic, room-at hand upgrades to all levels of elite fliers. American Airlines offers unlimited domestic upgrades to their top-tier fliers. Once you strike 25,000 elite miles reaped within a calendar year through flights, you start at the lowest level of elite status and work your way up at 50,000/75,000/100,000/125,000 levels depending on the airline. The higher the level of your elite status, the more probably you are to get an upgrade. This means you can buy a dirt affordable coach ticket and end up with a first class seat. As a Delta Diamond, this happens to me more many times than not and I even get upgraded 6 days before most of my flights!

If you’re thinking “I don’t fly enough to get elite status,” you’re missing the boat. Almost every airline has a co-branded credit card that allows you to reap elite qualifying miles. In my opinion, Delta makes it the easiest—you can get Silver elite status until 2013 simply by transferring 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to your Delta account. No flying essential! You can find out more about the promotion here. US airways lets you buy status outright.

And fear not. Even if you’re upgraded, airlines treat you just like a paid first class passenger. Truth be told, flight attendants usually have no idea who is paid and who is upgraded. So don’t think airline status is exclusive – anyone can get it if you are savvy enough!

Frequent Flier Miles or Credit Card Points

Most airlines allow you to use miles to upgrade to first class. Within the past couple years it has received more high priced, however. A myriad of airlines require you to purchase a more high priced fare class (for instance traditional economy instead of discounted economy) and charge co-pays plus upgrade fees and taxes, but it can still save you a ton of money versus buying a first class fare outright.

Buy a Y-Up fare

This one is a little more technical, but still easy to achieve. Y-Up fares are deeply discounted first class fares at hand within the U.S. and Canada that are booked in the system as coach fares but automatically upgrade to first class. These allow corporate travelers who are verboten to buy first class tickets the ability to buy “coach” and then they automatically get seated in first. These fares are difficult to search for online, so usually calling the airline is best. Most reservation agents ought to know the term and be able to support you. One caveat, these are not the same price as your discounted coach fares, but rather they are usually more in the price gamut of a full coach fare-though that’s still a lot less than a first class ticket in most cases.

Simply Ask

One of my popular mottos when it comes to miles and points is, “it never hurts to ask.” You’d be surprised at how empowered check-in agents and gate agents are when it comes to re-assigning passengers. I recommend being very friendly and appreciative. Frontline employees deal with lunatics and in general ungrateful people all day, so if you can quickly and nicely ask them about getting an upgrade, you might be surprised at what could happen. Whilst it’s a long shot, the only thing you must drop is a little bit of dignity. This method works well for honeymooners or good looking people who know how to flirt. That said, if they say no, respect it and try again next time!

Taking the Bump

Most airlines oversell flights so they can maximize their profit. They know people will constantly miss their flights for a variety of reasons, so they oversell to provide how a myriad of people they think will miss their flight and fill every seat by the time the airplane pushes back from the gate. However, things don’t constantly go as planned, and many times there more passengers than there are seats. In this case the airlines usually ask for volunteers to take a later flight. The thing you ought to know is that you have bargaining power when you are in this situation, in particular if they don’t have enough volunteers. Not only can you get a voucher for a future flight (and you can negotiate the value of that voucher up), but you can as well receive confirmed first class seats on your next flight. Agents are many times stressed out trying to get the airplane out on time, so if you are savvy and make their lives easier, they will many times give you first class, but only if you ask.

Broken Seat

I’ve been on a number of packed flights where passengers had broken coach seats and were reassigned to company or first since they were the only seats left. This is fortune of the draw, though. Don’t break your seat!

Buy An Upgrade

An empty seat in first class is lost revenue to an airline. A myriad of will sell deeply discounted upgrades up until getaway. Call the airline after you book your flight to check the cost and inquire when you check in at the airport – it may be a lot less high priced than you expected.

Work For an Airline

Airline employees are in general underpaid and overworked. One of their key perks is free travel for family and friends. The specifics are diverse for each airline, and buddy passes can be a blessing and a curse (if flights are oversold, buddy pass riders are usually last on the priority list for a seat), however most airlines will give company or first class seats to these passengers if they are at hand.

Anderson Cooper – CNN 360

42 year old Anderson was born June 3, 1967. The primary anchor of CNN Anderson Cooper 360 and 60 Minutes after the successful reality show The Mole.

Cooper has never married. In May 2007, Out magazine ranked him second behind David Geffen in their list of the fifty “Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America.”

Anderson stated about his sexuality “I understand why people might be interested. But I just don’t talk about my personal life. It’s a decision I made a long time ago, before I ever even knew anyone would be interested in my personal life. The whole thing about being a reporter is that you’re supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group you’re in, and I don’t want to do anything that threatens that.” Anderson also discuss his desire to have a family and children.

Mike Rowe – Dirty Jobs on Discovery

47 year old Rowe, the creator and executive producer of Discovery Channel’s Emmy®-nominated series, as well as the narrator for other programs The Ultimate Fighter, Deadliest Catch and Ghost Lab.

Rowe was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in March 18, 1962, currently lives in San Francisco, California. In the his early age, he began his career as a professional musician without training, faking his way into The Baltimore Opera.

The following year, he has worked on  narrating, writing, acting and hosting programs like Worst Case Scenario for TBS, On-Air TV for American Airlines, The Most for History Channel, No Relation for Fox, and New York Expeditions for PBS.

Mike has spent years traveling the country, working as an apprentice on over 200 dirty jobs, that no one wants, from coal miners to roustabouts, in every industry state, celebrating those hard-working Americans who make civilized life possible for the rest of us.

Phil Keoghan – CBS Amazing Race

42 year old Keoghan was born in Lincoln, New Zealand in May 31, 1967, spent a considerable part of his childhood in Antigua and Canada.

Phil currently lives with his wife Louise Rodrigues, and their daughter, Elle, in Los Angeles. Phil has worked in over 70 countries as a television host, producer, writer, and cameraman. He is also the creator and host of No Opportunity Wasted, produced in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada. He has won Emmy Awards 7 times.

Amazing Race – The winner is

So who won the Amazing Race you may wonder?

After all teams traveled to Las Vegas, they all mastered the descent down the outside wall of Mandalay Bay, then  Brian and Ericka had a tough time at the Mirage. But then Meghan and Cheyne browsed thru counting the chips and continued to Wayne Newton’s house.

Yes, Meghan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney are the winning team. Meghan Rickey is an Account Executive and her boyfriend, a Brand Manager Cheyne Whitney, both are 23 years old, from San Diego California. The young couple met in an competitive game of tetherball in elementary school 10 years ago.

Meghan and Cheyne both work in fields where they deal extensively with different publics. Meghan often coaches competitive girls’ soccer The couple feels strongly that their occupations and experiences with team sports have taught them effective communication skills and the virtue of patience, which they believe will benefit them in the Race.

Meghan and Cheyne are very eager to use the power of positive thinking and their athleticism to compete as a team and hope that this experience further validates their friendship and love.

About Amazing Race

The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at “pit stops” at the end of each leg of the race to win prizes and to prevent coming in last, which carries the possibility of elimination or a meaningful disadvantage in the pursuing leg.

Contestants travel to and within multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes, including planes, balloons, helicopters, trucks, bicycles, taxicabs, rental cars, Jeepneys, trains, buses, boats, and by foot. The clues (cryptic hints) provided in each leg lead the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a errand, either together or by a single member. These challenges are affiliated in some manner to the country wherein they are located or its culture. Teams are progressively eliminated until three are left; at that point, the team that arrives first in the definite leg is awarded a grand prize.