A few of weeks ago, I flew out to Taipei for the weekend. Flying home, my wife and I were on Cathay Pacific, however my wife was in First Class, and I was in Business Class. First world problems, for sure. I had been looking for space via the British Airways Award search tool to no avail. But it occurred to me while my wife and I were walking the streets of Taipei the day before our flight: You never know, if you don’t ask.

So, completely on a whim, I reached out to American Airlines’ Twitter team via DM and asked them if they saw an F saver award seat for the next day.

Surprisingly enough, Cathay Pacific had released the last seat in the cabin for award availability! In the course of 3 or 4 more messages, the American Airlines Twitter team was able to upgrade me into Cathay Pacific First Class. I was even a little concerned there might be some mix-up, but they were abundantly confident:

The Stellar American Air Twitter Team.

All it required was that I provide the expiration date and security code on my credit card.

Ultimately, getting this seat, was as easy as asking the question whether an award seat had become available.

Cathay Pacific First Class

All because I asked the question.

Now, this might not always happen, but you never know, if you don’t ask. You’ll never be told no, but you will also never be told yes. As I wrote near the beginning of this blog, I am a huge proponent of grabbing the brass ring, and this is a perfect example of doing that.