# Auctioned Airline Upgrades AirBerlin's Exquisite Program Lets Travelers Bid for Flight Upgrades By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2015-02-03 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flight-upgrade References: [luxuo](http://www.luxuo.com/aircraft/airberlin-auction-for-business-class-upgrades.html) & [airberlin](http://www.airberlin.com/en-DE/flightbooking/upgradeoffer) In order to give travelers a [business class experience](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aria-suite) for the price of an economy ticket, AirBerlin is launching a fun flight upgrade program called Exquisite. With Exquisite, travelers holding [economy class tickets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/frontier-airlines) are able to state how much they are willing to pay for a [seat upgrade](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hawaiian-airlines-unveils), which will then go to the highest bidder. These changes happen 12 hours before departure, so that there isn't a last minute scramble happening. This is a clever way to create an easy in to the business class section, give travelers a taste of the kind of service they'll get by upgrading their seats, while freeing up more economy seats. AirBerlin's Exquisite service is new to long-haul flights and requires all travelers to enter credit card information at the time of bidding, although only winners are charged when the auction has come to a close. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.1/10 - Popularity: 50% | Activity: 64% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Interactive](https://www.trendhunter.com/interactive) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Auctioned Flight Upgrades:** Airlines could introduce auctioned upgrades for customers holding economy tickets. - **Dynamic Pricing:** Dynamic pricing could be implemented to let customers bid on flight upgrades. - **Gamification in Travel:** Gamification could be incorporated into travel industry promotions to encourage customer engagement. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Airline Industry:** Airlines could use auctioned upgrades to create new revenue streams and offer customers a taste of premium features. - **Travel Tech Industry:** Travel tech companies could use dynamic pricing technology to offer auctioned upgrades, providing customers with better deals and improving marketing efforts. - **Hospitality Industry:** Gamification could be incorporated into hospitality promotions to enhance customer experience and engagement. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Upgraded Airline Cabin Products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lufthansa.md) - [Elevated Aircraft Interiors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/elevated-aircraft-interior.md) - [Experiential Prize Flight Raffles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/middle-seat-lottery.md) - [Premium Economy Meal Options](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/singapore-airlines-economy-meals.md) - [Optimized Business Class Cabins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/airline-business-class-cabin.md) - [Economy Class Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seat-sale.md) - [Spacious Airline Seating Selections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/neighbor-free.md) - [Opulent Airline Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hawaiian-airlines-1.md) - [Revamped Business Class Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/air-france-business-class.md)