I scored a free upgrade on my flight after using the little-known ‘chocolate box’ trick – here’s how to do it

A traveler has revealed details of how she got a free flight upgrade after using a little-known chocolate box trick.

Anna Lee read about a hack where you give a box of chocolates to the airline employee at the check-in counter in the hope of receiving a free upgrade.

She explained that she had known the trick for years, but had always been “too scared, awkward and weird” when asking for a free upgrade.

However, her cousin, who works as a flight attendant at a major airline, told her that many passengers “always” ask for a free upgrade, so it’s “nice to do that with a gift.”

So Anna decided to put the theory to the test when she took a six-hour flight from Las Vegas to New York City after Christmas.

Before boarding her flight, Anna bought a box of chocolates and then headed to the check-in counter, where she surprised the Delta employee with the gift.

Moments later, she asked the employee, “How much would it cost to upgrade my seat?”

To her surprise, the employee kindly offered her a free upgrade from economy class to Comfort Plus, with some perks such as priority boarding, more legroom, extra backrest, special overhead bin and more.

Traveler Anna Lee has revealed details of how she got a free upgrade on a flight after discovering a little-known chocolate box trick

“I was just testing the box of chocolates I read about online years ago, and it’s something that has stuck with me,” Anna told FEMAIL.

‘I was always curious about it, but never did anything with it until I recently asked my cousin, who works at an airline, and she said it was a fine thing to do.

‘I just thought, I’ll give it a try… I didn’t expect an upgrade. I was grateful that the employee eventually upgraded me… I can’t believe that actually worked.”

The solo traveler filmed herself handing the chocolates to the employee as she said: “I just wanted to say happy holidays and thank you for all your hard work.”

She then told the employee that she wanted to upgrade her seat but wanted to know how much it would cost.

“I didn’t expect anything, but she just upgraded me,” Anna said.

She couldn’t believe her luck when the employee gave her a free upgrade, leaving her stunned that the chocolates actually worked in her favor.

“I got the upgrade,” she said excitedly into the phone video.

“I didn’t expect anything…I just wanted to try it to see if it worked and it did.”

Anna said she has heard that airlines occasionally need to rearrange seats to “balance the plane.”

“So if there are too many people in the back, they will upgrade some people to the front for free. Knowing that information, I just wanted to make it clear that they should choose me,” she said.

“Sometimes it never hurts to just try.”

Before boarding her flight, Anna bought a box of chocolates and then headed to the check-in counter, where she surprised the Delta employee with the gift

Her video has been viewed more than 770,000 times, with many confirming that passengers on board are treated to perks such as free upgrades or snacks when they surprise employees with a small gift.

“My dad is a pilot and he always taught me to grab donuts or other little treats to give to flight attendants and gate agents… Always worth it – they love it,” said one.

“My mom is a flight attendant and yes, this is definitely a thing,” said another.

“My boyfriend is a flight attendant and he taught me to take Starbucks gift cards as a ‘tip’ on every flight and give them to them before departure. They always give you extra snacks and drinks,” one person revealed.

Many airline staff confirmed that a little goes a long way when interacting with the staff.

“We airline employees do this a lot for our colleagues (obviously we don’t expect anything in return), but they always give us the A+ treatment,” one person shared.

“As a flight attendant, I can say that gate agents are so underrated and have so much more power than people realize. They are responsible for the upgrades and also turning people away, so be nice to them,” another added with a laugh.

Meanwhile, one woman said she was lucky to get free upgrades without giving anyone any gifts.

‘I usually just ask for the upgrade and usually get it without any chocolates. “I think as long as you’re nice and they have room, they’ll upgrade you if they can,” she said.