The Free Flight Upgrade question at checkout
At checkout, every booking answers one required question: if our team spots a faster route to your destination, with a shorter total trip time or a shorter layover, may we move you to it? Saying yes gives us permission to look. It isn't a plan to move you.
Despite its name, it isn't a cabin upgrade. The "upgrade" is a better route: you'd keep your cabin, your fare and your travel dates, and it never costs you anything extra.
How does the question work?
- Where you'll see it. It's on your checkout page, above the total, and every booking needs an answer.
- Yes or no. If you say yes, you also choose whether a move can be to any airline or only to the airline you booked.
- No downside to "No". "No" is a perfectly normal answer. It's a preference, not a legal agreement.
What does a yes mean?
If you say yes, here's what we promise:
- Same cabin. Economy stays economy. The improvement is a shorter trip, not a better class of service.
- Same travel dates, with a departure near your original time.
- No extra cost, ever. If a faster option costs more, we cover the difference, or we don't move you.
- Only a real improvement. We'd only move you for a shorter total trip time or a shorter layover, never to a worse itinerary.
- You'll hear from us. If we make a change, we email you. You're never moved silently.
- Nothing else changes. A yes doesn't waive anything, and it doesn't affect your fare rules, refundability, seats you've paid for or your payment plan. If a move would ever affect a seat assignment you paid for, we'd sort that out with you first.
For example, say your trip has a long layover, and our team spots a flight that leaves around the same time on the same day and gets you there sooner. With a yes on file, we could move you to it, in the same cabin and at no cost, and we'd email you about the change.
Will my flight change?
Not necessarily. Most bookings are never changed, and it may never come up for your trip. If you'd like different dates or times yourself, that's a separate thing: here's how to change your flight.
Can I change my answer?
Yes, either way. Chat with the Defera Concierge, our AI concierge, and it can send the change to our team. Your answer is a preference on your booking, not a contract term.
How is this different from other upgrades?
"Upgrade" shows up in three places at Defera, and they're different things:
| Upgrade | What it is | How it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Free Flight Upgrade | A faster route, in the same cabin | You say yes at checkout |
| Complimentary cabin upgrade | A better cabin, as a thank-you for booking with us | We arrange it when we can. There's nothing to request |
| Cabin Upgrade | A better cabin, using your Defera Miles | You ask from your trip page, from 8,000 Miles |
The takeaway: only the Free Flight Upgrade is about your route. The other two are about your cabin.
A complimentary cabin upgrade isn't guaranteed and isn't on every trip: it's subject to availability, and eligibility is assessed per booking. If one is arranged, you'll see a "Complimentary Upgrade" card on your trip page and get a "You've been upgraded" email, and it shows on your boarding pass at check-in.
Cabin Upgrade sits under "Redeem on this trip" on your trip page, and tapping it opens a chat with your request already written. How upgrades work on Defera covers all three.