Shenaz Treasurywala Instagram – Unfortunately, you don’t get upgraded by dressing well, flashing a sweet smile. In fact most upgrades happen with no one ever laying eyes on the passenger … so how do you get an upgrade? Is it miles? No! It’s status. If you’re a frequent flier and even if you have no miles – you have status because you fly regularly and that’s how you may get an upgrade. If business class is too full and over booked ; they will check who’s the most frequent flier and bump them up.