Flying first class may seem like a distant dream for you, but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility for any flier. If you’ve got first class dreams on an economy budget, try these 5 methods on for size.

It Can’t Hurt to Search

You may always search for economy tickets without thinking twice because you assume first class is out of the realm of possibility. But you never know until you search:

was recently searching for a ticket from Toronto to Lima. I did the standard search on a variety of search engines, all in economy class of course. Then, I performed the same search in first class, and — glory be — I found a first class flight, for $50 more than the equivalent economy ticket. Airlines will occasionally (and very quietly) offer deep discounts on first class airfare. It always pays to search your desired flight itinerary in both economy and first class.

Mention a Special Occasion

Don’t overwhelm the people at check in, but if you’re flying somewhere to get married, for your honeymoon, or to see a family member for a milestone birthday, mention it at check-in. You might be pleasantly surprised by an upgrade to first class for free if there’s extra space.

Arrive Early at the Gate

If you get to the gate early, you might catch the airline staff in the lull before the next rush for boarding starts. This has worked a couple of times for Nora of Wise Bread:

A sob story/special occasion can help if you manage to get chatting with them and ask them for an upgrade. This is how I got my first-ever free upgrade to first class. I’d miscalculated the time after 20-something hours of travel and was sitting at the gate with hours to spare and got chatting with the gate attendant about my mammoth journey, at which point she decided to make the next leg of it much more comfortable for me. It happened again in Australia after a ridiculous amount of continuous travel. I asked (some might say begged) the gate attendant for some reprieve on my final flight, and she pitied me with an upgrade to first class.

Volunteer to Be Bumped

When airlines overbook their flights (it happens), they’ll ask for volunteers to be bumped off of that flight in exchange for things like vouchers for food, free accommodation, future flights and/or an upgrade to first class. If you’re in no hurry anyway, you could show up to your flight early and let the attendant know that you’d be willing to be bumped in exchange for a first class flight later on.

Use Frequent Flier Miles

This may be the most obvious way to get an upgrade, but don’t forget about it as an option. There are many ways to earn miles, and you can often use miles to upgrade your flights:

• How to Earn Airline Miles Without Flying
• Website of the Week: Frugal Travel Guy
• How to Best Use Your Flier Miles

Do you have any great tricks for flying first class without paying first class prices?

Thanks to Wise Bread for the tips!